A Declaration of War
by slytherin-nette
Summary: All Harriet Potter wanted was a quiet life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic and anger the S-4. She ESPECIALLY never wanted the attention of its leader, Draco Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango adaptation. DM/femHP. AU.
1. Purebloods, Pansies and the Serpent Four

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: Alternate Universe. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story but rest assured that I do my best to write her VERY MUCH in tune with her canon character otherwise. For those who are familiar with Hana Yori Dango, **you can PM me and I will send you a character guide** as to how each character from the HP universe is assigned their role in this story according to the Hana Yori Dango universe. :D

**A/N:** I know what you're all thinking. Where in Merlin's name did this story come from? It just popped into my head one day after I wrote 'The Pigtail Theory' and I just had to try writing it. It's not as emotionally heavy as Phoenix Tears so you guys might like it! :D Whether I continue or not is based on reader reception, of course. Hope you all enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Purebloods, Pansies, and the Serpent Four**

Tattered black shoes stopped and scuffled uncertainly just at the entrance of a large, luxurious crystal castle that morning, followed by the sound of its owner's heavy sigh.

_Well…This is it._

Emerald green eyes peered out hesitantly from behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.

_My first day at Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic._

Feeling a sickening feeling at the pit of her stomach, Harriet Jamie Potter squelched back the nervousness that was itching up her throat and took another deep, careful breath of fresh air. She self-consciously adjusted the stuffy, green and white school uniform adorning her small frame and made sure her wizard's robes were properly aligned before finally walking slowly towards the school.

After several steps, she stopped again just at the very foot of the entrance to the beautiful castle and watched as one by one, large, luxurious carriages stopped by the castle doors. Alighting themselves from the carriages were some of the most distinguished, aristocratic young witches and wizards Harry had ever seen – each one with their own private house-elf to carry their bags for them.

Her amazement clearly written in her wide-eyed expression, Harry continued to watch as more and more students began arriving at the school, their forms adorned with some of the most expensive jewelry and designer robes known to witch and wizard. As she neared them, she noted with a hint of nervousness that not one of the students' faces seemed welcoming, nor did they seem willing to talk.

_Merlin…That girl's bag looks more expensive than all my belongings combined…What am I even doing here? None of those students look friendly – was that carriage made out of diamond?_

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat again, Harry took another deep breath and steeled herself, hoisting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. When she finally got to the entrance – feeling rather foolish since she was the only student who seemed to have arrived without a carriage and without a servant – she stopped again and unconsciously grabbed at the locket around her neck.

_Oh Dad…I don't know what I'm doing here…I was never like you._

Harry's eyes dimmed slightly at the thought of her father but she didn't linger too long on him, however, and her attention was again drawn to the majestic, crystal castle in front of her. Without a doubt, Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic – or _SSPAM _as most referred to it – was the most beautiful establishment she had ever seen and just the thought of entering made her cringe.

_Oh Dad…Mom…I don't know if I can do this…I'm not like these students._ Harry thought again as one particularly snotty-looking girl walked by her, pausing to give dirty shoes a disdainful sneer. Hesitating and self-consciously stepping away again, Harry flicked her eyes back up at the castle.

She knew her father, the late but esteemed pureblooded aristocrat James Aidan Potter, had attended SSPAM and had often spoke of his school to her with such pride and fondness. In those last few days before he and Harry's mother, Lily Anne Potter, had died, he had regaled Harry with stories of his life at SSPAM and how proud he would be when Harry managed to get a scholarship invitation.

Harry had been one of the top students in her magical preparatory school, Hogwarts Intermediary School for Magic, when she had graduated – second only to one of her muggleborn best friends, Hermione Isabel Granger. Since James had been the graduating valedictorian of SSPAM during his time and was one of SSPAM's best alumni and since SSPAM offered entry into their school based _only _on family referrals and bloodline, it was Harry who got the scholarship instead of Hermione.

The brunette had been very disappointed but eventually got over it when she learned that she and Harry's other best friend – Ron Weasley – would be attending Magical University of Godric Gryffindor (MUGG) – together that year. It was Harry who was put out at being separated from them.

She hadn't been separated from her two best friends since she began her wizarding schooling and just the thought of going to this new exclusive academy without knowing _anyone _made her extremely nervous. Since her father had come from such a traditional pureblood family, her name was still pretty much known among elite circles but scorned because of their affiliation with muggleborns.

Harry's mother was a muggleborn witch –the most beautiful woman she knew – and when James had fallen in love with Lily, the Potter household threatened to cut him off from being the heir. He didn't want the title and eventually, ran away soon after to marry Lily and eventually have Harriet.

Now, however, without their guidance, Harry didn't know where she was going to begin.

When her parents had died, Harry had been only eleven years old.

She had been living with her best friend's family since then – her godparents Molly and Arthur Weasley – and has been striving to make it on her own by pushing herself through part-time jobs. It wasn't that the Weasleys couldn't take care of her or anything, they were the nicest family she had ever got the pleasure of knowing. It was just that, well, Molly and Arthur Weasley had _seven _kids of their own to worry about and Harry certainly didn't want to add to their financial troubles anymore.

Despite the small fortune her father had left for her in a small Gringott's vault, she could no longer support herself for her education without proper guardianship so she also studied hard to maintain her scholarship at Hogwarts back then. And now, since she knew her father would have wanted her to go to SSPAM, she accepted SSPAM's scholarship given to her over MUGG's own offer.

Besides, she couldn't deny that she also wanted to graduate from the academy her father did.

It gave her a sense of pride and nostalgia somehow…knowing her father once roamed this castle back when he had been a student. That thought alone was enough to comfort her loneliness.

Holding back a sigh, Harry raised her bottle of water to her lips, wincing sheepishly moments later when she had inadvertently spilled some on her newly bought SSPAM uniform. She cursed under her breath and wiped the water away, inwardly irritated at herself. Mrs. Weasley had warned her dozens of times that this was the only uniform she had since the silk fabrics had been so expensive.

As she thought of this, she couldn't help smiling as she remembered the events that morning.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Now Harriet…Once you get there later, the first thing I want you to ask is where all the fire exits are. It never hurts to always accustom yourself to your new environments. Is that clear?"

Molly Weasley's voice echoed clearly in the Weasley kitchen that morning, followed by the unmistakable sounds of Fred and George Weasley sniggering loudly to themselves.

"Harry's eighteen-years-old, Mum! She can take care of herself whether or not she knows where all the fire exits are…Geez; sometimes you treat us all as if we were still eleven!" Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the Weasley children and the only girl, declared with a pointed look.

A little embarrassed by all the teasing grins she was receiving from the rest of the Weasleys around the table – including her best friends, Ron and Hermione – Harry managed a weak laugh. She looked up and met Mrs. Weasley's adamant glare with a grateful but reassuring smile of her own.

"I'll be okay Mrs. Weasley…My dad has a map of the entire school from his time, I'll use it to know my way around." She told them all but even before Molly could reply, Fred and George were on her again. This time, they both threw Harry identical teasing smirks and winked suggestively at her.

"On the other hand, you could always flutter your pretty little lashes up at one of those rich male pureblood heirs there and have _them _escort you around school…eh, Harry?" Fred kidded with a wide grin at her and even before Harry could answer him with an angry retort, George followed it up.

"Fred's right, Har! Hey, how about dating one of those rich jerks for us? We're in the need for a little money right now, we could use the help! We figure oh…say…about 500,000 galleons should do the trick. What do you say, Harry?" He kidded again, laughing when he was answered by Harry growling at him and throwing a piece of bread at him from across the table. The rest of the family laughed at this while Mrs. Weasley just threw her sons another disgruntled look of disapproval.

Mr. Weasley, however, seemed amused at his sons' antics and reached over to bonk George's head lightly in mild admonishment. "Oh you two…Don't influence Harry like that. You know that we'll be happy with whoever she ends up dating, whether he's from SSPAM or not—" He was interrupted when Ginny turned to Harry with twinkling blue eyes and giggled, jostling her excitedly by the arm.

"Oh Merlin, you're going to be meeting all those hot, rich pureblood heirs there, Harriet! Oooh! I'm so jealous! Maybe you could introduce me to some of them, huh? Please, please!" She stopped jostling Harry's arm and winced when Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed at her daughter in warning.

"Ginevra Weasley, I believe I have raised my daughter with more self-respect than that! We Weasleys may not be rich but we certainly do not act in such an undignified manner!" She scolded angrily, causing Ginny to quiet down and the rest of her brothers to snigger quietly at her flushed face.

Caught up in the middle of all these conversations, Harry just turned to Ginny and managed to offer the other girl a small, helpless smile and half shrug. "I'm sorry Gin but I hardly think I'll be making a lot of new friends at SSPAM…I'll be too focused on keeping my scholarship to think of that—"

It was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes at her this time but before she could say anything, Ron suddenly spoke up for the first time that morning, drawing Harriet's attention to his sad smile. He put down his forkful of pancakes and looked up at her, his blue eyes filled with a lingering nostalgia.

"If it helps, Har…Hermione and I will miss you in school…It's kind of…_weird…_knowing that we're not going to same magical college together now. We've been together all throughout intermediary school." He mused with a soft sigh and Harry smiled sadly at him, nodding in agreement.

"I know, Ron…And I'll miss you and 'Mione too but—"

Beside Ron, Hermione sniffed to herself and gave Harry a mildly indignant glare. "Don't you _DARE_ start ignoring us once you've met new friends there, Harriet Jamie Potter! I don't care how prestigious the people there may be, we're still your best friends above anyone else!" She reprimanded lightly, causing both Harry and Ron to laugh when they heard the cracking in her voice.

Reaching over the table, Harry clasped Hermione's hand and gave the limb a gentle squeeze.

"You have my word…You know you guys will always be my best friends. And besides…" She rolled her eyes at the both of them and threw them a wry grin. "It's not as if we won't be seeing each other, Ron! We'll still be coming home to the same house every night and Hermione, you and I will _still _be seeing each other every afternoon at the Three Broomsticks!" She smiled at the look of embarrassment on Hermione's face. Ron grinned at her in agreement, ducking his head sheepishly.

At the mention of his wholly-owned pub, Bill Weasley – easily the most handsome and the oldest of the Weasley children – grinned at them from where he sat and nodded emphatically.

"That's right, Harry. You and Hermione had _better _be there every afternoon! You two are my best waitresses; business would be hard to keep up without you two…Especially since I'll be in Egypt again the next few months on assignment." He looked worried at this but Ron gave him a smile.

"Oh don't worry, Harry and 'Mione will definitely take care of the place! Right, girls?"

Harry and Hermione both rolled their eyes at him when Ron turned back to his breakfast, happily eating through his tall pile of pancakes. As Harry finally turned away from them and began to pack her bag for school that morning, Hermione looked up and gave her one last, wistful smile.

"Still…It'd be kind of lonely without you, Harry…I mean…" She looked down to hide her eyes and waited until the rest of the Weasleys began talking amongst themselves again before she spoke.

"_Now _who's going to protect me from all those bullies in school…?" She pretended to glare at Harry in admonishment but the other girl just smiled sadly at her, unable to say anything in response.

Beside them, Ginny giggled to herself again and gave Hermione a wry smile. "I still remember how Harry here punched that stupid jerk when he was calling you names for being muggleborn, Hermione…I'd never seen any girl punch a guy that hard before. Poor boy looked as though he was going to cry." She and Hermione both ended up laughing softly, causing Harry to blush at the memory.

"Well…He deserved it. No one makes fun of my friends." She offered firmly and Ron and Hermione both would have said something at that had Mr. Weasley spoken up again, directing all three teenagers' attention to his proud, beaming smile at the very head of the large wooden table.

"Harry! Are you ready, m'dear? Not feeling nervous, are you?" Harry opened her mouth to answer him but Mr. Weasley continued, his voice cheerful as he gave her a proud smile. "Just so you know, Molly and I are _extremely _proud that you've been accepted into such a prestigious school as SSPAM! We only expect that you'll make the most out of your education there, is that clear?" He paused and tried to give her a stern glare but she just smiled at him, knowing he wasn't really angry.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley—"

"_Furthermore!" _He cleared his throat and shared a look with his wife before he continued speaking. "As your legal guardians, we took the liberty of paying for your uniform this year. So—"

Harry paled at that and she looked down quickly at her expensive, silk-tailored SSPAM uniform before snapping her head back up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's beaming faces. She reddened in embarrassment and tried to shake her head at them in dismay. "N—no, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you didn't have to do that! I was going to pay for it myself, you d—didn't have to spend for me—"

Mrs. Weasley sniffed and shook her head, finally standing up from her chair just as the rest of the Weasleys around the table began to gather their things and get ready for school.

"_Nonsense, _my child…Don't be ridiculous! Arthur and I were only _happy _to buy your uniform for you. We _do _consider you as our daughter too, you know…It's only right."

She scolded as she walked over to each of her children and handed them each their lunch one by one. When she got to Harriet, the corners of her lips tugged upwards into a small smile and she reached down, gently adjusting the collar and buttons of Harry's green and white SSPAM uniform.

Harry was blushing the entire time she did this and looked down at the floor, too embarrassed by the gesture to meet their eyes. Molly and Arthur shared a smile at this, however, and finally Molly handed Harry her lunch, tilting the younger girl's chin up so she could look into her warm smile.

"Just take care of it, my child…I'm afraid SSPAM uniforms are so horribly expensive that we only had enough money to buy you just one. We will just have to wash it everyday—" She was cut right in the middle of her sentence when Harry finally looked up and threw her arms around Molly in warm gratitude, her bright green eyes shining with warm as she hugged the older woman tightly.

"Th—thank you, Mrs. Weasley…M—Mr. Weasley…" The minute she had let go of Molly, she turned and hugged Arthur instead, to which he responded to with a chuckle before patting her back.

"You're very welcome, my child. Only the best for our beloved, Harry. Now go on now and scat before you're late for your first day of school! Can't have that, now." He turned her around and pointed her in the direction of the doorway where Ron and Hermione already stood waiting for her.

Turning back around again and giving both her adoptive parents one last look, Harry took the lunchbox from Molly's offered hands and gave her a genuine, beautiful smile. When both Molly and Arthur smiled back and nodded, Harriet finally turned and bounded out towards the front door.

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

_**

* * *

**_

Her fingers tightening gently around the small lunch box she still held in her hand, Harry smiled again and took one last deep breath of air, steeling herself as she approached the entrance.

"Well…Here goes nothing. Pray that I don't embarrass you, Dad."

She bit her lip after she heard her own whisper and finally, stepped towards the large, crystalline entrance in growing anticipation. Around her, she felt the unwelcoming stares and disapproving looks she was receiving from the students nearby but she refused to meet their gazes, keeping her head high and her bright green eyes trained solely on the entrance in front of her.

As soon as she had stepped through and found herself facing a series of long winding, exquisitely decorated hallways, Harry gulped again and adjusted her bag strap over her shoulder. She pulled her father's magical marauder's map out of her pocket and glanced down briefly, her eyebrows fusing together as she tried to work out where her locker and first class were located in the castle.

Once she found the correct hallway, she bit her lip again and began walking down the semi-deserted corridors, now more fully aware than ever of the smirks she was receiving from the students nearby when they caught sight of her tattered school bag and scruffy, secondhand black shoes.

Fighting to keep the embarrassed flush on her face, Harry finally sighed when she found what she was looking for and reached out to open her newly cleaned magical locker. The castle bell for 8:30 classes rang sharply just as she was unloading her things and she turned around just as she heard someone opening the locker right beside hers, causing her to glance up and peer around in question.

Unfortunately, she seemed to have turned around a little too fast and she ended up accidentally knocking her locker door outwards to lightly hit the student beside her, immediately causing Harry to wince in dismay and rattle out a string of horrified apologies.

"O—oh, Merlin! I—I'm so sorry, th—that was my fault! I d—didn't mean to—" She stopped talking and finally peered around her locker doors, her eyes widening when she was met with the equally sheepish look of a black-haired girl about her age, her smile mildly timid as she looked at her.

Harry stepped back a couple of feet and slowly closed her locker door to catch a full glimpse of her, noting to herself that the girl was very pretty with short black hair just a little past her chin, thin, aristocratic eyebrows and a perfectly symmetrical nose. Her make-up had been flawlessly applied, highlighting her blue eyes even more and at her appearance, Harry felt like the grungiest person alive.

Feeling a little intimidated by this, Harry swallowed again but managed a friendly smile at the other girl. "H—hi…I'm so sorry about that, I was just a little nervous. I'm new here, you see… And I'm—" The other girl cut her off with a soft, feminine laugh and she shook her head in reassurance.

"Don't worry about it, no harm done…I'm actually new here as well. I just transferred from Beauxbatons Academy for girls…My name's Pansy Parkinson. And…You are?" She peered curiously at her, causing Harriet to blush again when she realized how bad she must have looked compared to her.

"I—I'm…Harriet Potter…Or rather, just…_Harry…_for short. I'm new here…I—I just graduated from Hogwarts Intermediary and this is my first year here at SSPAM. A—are you a first year too?" She asked but even before Pansy had answered, she caught sight of the 2nd year badge on her robes.

Shaking her head, Pansy turned back to her locker and began unloading her things.

"No, I'm actually a second year…I spent my first year at Beauxbatons. But wait a minute, I hope you don't mind my asking…Er…Hogwarts…? Not a lot of students from SSPAM attended Hogwarts, most attended Durmstrang—" She stopped when Harry blushed again but gave her a small, wry smile.

"I'm actually here on scholarship…I'm not as rich as everyone else." She admitted with a rueful grin, to which Pansy responded to by staring at her in shock for several seconds of awkward silence. For a minute, Harry was almost afraid she was going to make fun of her for that but to her relief, Pansy finally blinked out of her trance and nodded in understanding, giving her a shy smile.

"Oh…Well then, I hope we can still be friends, Harry." She smiled warmly at the other girl again and just as both she and Harry had finally magically sealed their lockers and were about to turn around, a large shout out of nowhere suddenly distracted them, making both girls jump up in shock.

Harry barely had any time to turn around before a tall, dark-haired first year suddenly began careening down the hallway towards them, his horrified face and the loud, panicked shouts that were issuing from his lips causing all the other students around them to gasp and pale immediately in fear.

"_IT'S THE DARK MARK! IT'S THE DARK MARK! NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM FROM CLASS 1-A HAS RECEIVED THE DARK MARK! EVERYONE STAY AWAY FROM HIM! HE'S THE S-4'S NEW TARGET!" _

He ran right past Harry and Pansy's horrified forms and turned sharply at the end of the corridor, his loud shouts continuing to echo from all around the large castle. When his screams had faded, everyone else began whispering loudly to themselves in hushed panic, their expressions and tense forms causing Harry to fuse her eyebrows together and turn to give Pansy a questioning look.

"Pansy…What's happening? What's the Dark Mark…? Do you know what that means?" She whispered under her breath at the other girl. She was surprised, however, to see that Pansy apparently _did _seem to know what it meant and was now trembling with shaky, fearful shivers.

Looking around cautiously as though to make sure they weren't being listened to or followed, Pansy hastily pulled Harry aside and grasped her firmly by her arm, leading the other girl down the corridor as they followed the other students. Once they reached the end of the hallway and began making their way through the forming crowd to the large, quad at the very center of the castle, Pansy finally leaned in closer to Harry and began whispering to her in a rushed, very timid tone of voice.

"Harry…I may be a transferee here and may not know much yet about this school but I for certainly know all about the Dark Mark…And the _S-4…_" She whispered to the younger girl, her eyes not on Harry's thoroughly confused expression but on the developing scene not too far away.

Following her eyes, Harry's eyebrows fused together again when she was met with the sight of a dark-haired, slightly chubby boy kneeling right in the middle of a crowd of jeering students. The students were gathered around him in what appeared to be a private sitting room situated at the very top of a marble staircase that led from the very end of the quad.

It was lavishly decorated – adorned with some of the most expensive furniture Harry had ever seen – and was distinctly separated from the rest of the quad area, cased in with its own private walls. The private sitting room had big, crystalline windows, however, and allowed the other students outside to see the scene happening, as well as the four large high-backed chairs that were situated at the very end of the room just as the head of the circle of students. Looking over the other students that were beginning to gather around them, Harry managed to make out the scene in front of her

The dark-haired, slightly chubby boy kneeling in the middle of the crowd was trembling nervously as he tried to kneel down and gather his scattered books back into his arms – only to wince in humiliation moments later when the students circled around him jeered louder and began pelting him with several different kinds of hexes and jinxes from all directions. The boy cowered away at this and tried to shield himself with his hands, looking quite pathetic in the middle of the large circle.

Horribly disgusted at seeing such blatant bullying, Harry was almost going to help him when someone nearer the scene beat her to it. One of the male students – a second year with dark, curly blonde hair – stepped into the circle, directing his glare at the four high-backed chairs right in front.

"You S-4 are disgusting scum!"

Harry was unable to see the four students seated on the chairs but somehow sensed they were smirking right back at the boy who had spoken as they watched him pointedly walking over to the cowering chubby student and, despite the gasps of the watching crowd, knelt down to help the chubby student gather the scattered books and belongings on the floor back into his bag.

The crowd stayed completely silent at this for a long, agonizing moment, watching tensely as the curly-haired blonde continued to help the other student with his things. After what seemed like an hour of hushed murmurs, a soft, silky drawl suddenly broke the silence, drawing everyone else's attention to the very front of the room. Harry blinked and flicked her gaze over to the four high-backed chairs again, watching closely as one of the students in the middle seemed to speak up.

"…You dare defy me…_Goldstein…?_"

The boy who had been addressed by the speaker as 'Goldstein' flicked his eyes back up again and glared at the other boy who had spoken, his eyes narrowing in disgust as he stood back up.

"I don't care who you are, Malfoy and I don't care if you _ARE _the leader of S-4! You S-4 jerks think you're so bloody great! You can't treat other people this way just because you're richer than everyone else and your fathers own the school! You're scum! I'm not afraid of you!" His angry voice echoed clearly amidst everyone else's silence, followed by more barely audible gasps all around them.

As all this was happening, Harry didn't even realize she had been holding her breath and she shakily took in another inhale of oxygen, watching as the one who had spoken seemed to chuckle softly at Goldstein's choice of words. From where Harry was standing with Pansy, she was unable to see anything about the four seated students and could only watch on with growing confusion as the boy Goldstein had addressed as the leader drummed his perfectly manicured hands onto his armrest.

"…We shall see…"

Then, without saying anything else, he chuckled again and finally stood up slowly from his seat, followed quickly by the other three boys seated beside him. As he stood up, Harry was able to make out the leader's striking color of silver blonde hair right before he had turned around, finally allowing both Harry and Pansy a glimpse of his shockingly elegant and extremely handsome features.

He didn't say anything, however, and spared no one in the crowd a glance as he smirked and sauntered past Goldstein and the other cowering student huddled in the middle of the crowd, pausing for just the briefest of moments to flick his cold, silver eyes down and level Goldstein with a sneer.

"Watch your back, Goldstein."

One of the three equally handsome boys behind him grinned roguishly at this and reached down, playfully ruffling Goldstein and the chubby boy's hair with a mild, mocking laugh.

"Bad move, ol chap… You know Draco's never in a good mood at this time of the year. Don't piss him off even more… Just some advice." One of them mentioned – a handsome and strikingly dressed dark blonde who looked back up and gave all the watching girls a flirtatious smile and wink.

All the girls sighed and giggled at this, watching as the large crowd of students around the entire area parted automatically in fear as the four boys passed them and made their way to the quad exit. Just as they managed to get near enough for Harry to get a complete glimpse of all their aristocratic faces, she blushed slightly at the sight of the boy behind the leader and turned to Pansy.

"Who…Who are those jerks?"

Pansy paled at her words again and shushed her sharply, looking around again to make sure no one had heard them. Then, after checking again to make sure no one was within hearing range, she followed Harry's eyes and stared at the four boys with a strange, unreadable gleam in her eyes.

"They…Are the _S-4_, Harry…They basically rule this entire school." She whispered breathlessly, unaware of the way Harry had raised an eyebrow at this and narrowed her eyes in utter dislike.

"_Rule _the school…? _Why, _who are they?"

Pansy pulled her gaze away from the four boys and stared at her in utter disbelief.

"Why…? B—because…They literally _own _SSPAM, Harry! They're the sons of the four richest, pureblooded families in all of Europe!" She paused for a minute and turned back to watch them just as they neared the exit, gesturing Harry in the direction of the one at the very back of the group.

"You see that guy…? Tallest one…Handsome, Bulgarian features…Very athletic…?"

When Harry nodded curiously at her words, Pansy turned to whisper to her again.

"That's _Viktor Mikhail Krum_…He's from one of the very oldest and most traditional pureblooded lines in Europe. His family owns a chain of Quidditch teams, from what I know…They sponsor all of the Quidditch matches. They also own the company that manufactures the Firebolts and Nimbus models, from what I heard last." She paused for a minute, ignoring the look of pure shock on Harry's face and gestured the younger girl once more to the boy walking just a couple of steps in front of Krum.

"The one in front of him…Is _Theodore Damon Nott_…He's the _biggest _playboy in the S-4, so I'm warning you now that he's bad news…His family, on the other hand, runs a chain of illegal businesses all around Europe and America. His father is the leader of an underground, syndicate group called the _Death Eaters_. No one's actually seen them at work but they apparently make billions every year from dealing with the black and underground markets." Pansy's eyes glazed over slightly as they ran over Theodore's handsome features and thoroughly toned frame but Harry soon questioned her again.

"What kind of illegal businesses do they—"

She hadn't even finished her question when Pansy grabbed her by the arm again, dragging her over to the end of the room to catch a final glimpse of the S-4 before they left.

"The silent, brooding one with the handsome, Italian features is Blaise Elliot Zabini…He's the son of the Minister of Magic so you can imagine all the pressure on him. I heard his family also owns an entire string of manufacturing companies – Bertie Bott's, Chocolate Frogs, Wand Makers, you name it! The Zabinis probably own more than half of Magical London these days with all their businesses." Pansy mused softly but Harry barely heard her, her green eyes focused intently on Blaise's blank, downcast eyes and utterly silent form as he followed his friends past the crowd to the quad exit.

Unlike Viktor and Theodore behind him, who were taking their own sweet time flirting with all the girls who approached them, Blaise looked as though he barely saw anyone else there and was lost in his own inner musings. His face was devoid of any lingering emotion, something Harry certainly did not fail to notice and she continued to stare curiously at him, unaware of the blush rising in her cheeks.

She was brought back to reality by Pansy soon enough though, and this time, the other girl's voice took on a definite, dreamy voice as she finally gestured Harry towards the silver-blonde leading the group, allowing her once more a glimpse of the boy's handsome features. The boy was sneering and impatiently shoving past all the students – guy _or _girl alike – to make his way over to the exit.

"The silver blonde at the very front is none other than _Draco Lucius Malfoy…_" Pansy sighed after she had spoken and her eyes suddenly glazed over, much to Harry's exasperation. "He's the leader of S-4…And with good reason, I must say." She paused again and waited until all the S-4 had finally left the Quad and disappeared from their sight before turning to meet a confused Harry again.

"Why—"

Pansy giggled softly and pulled her aside, leading her out towards the exit as well.

"His family owns Gringotts Wizarding Bank, you see…As well as MMC – Malfoy Multinational Conglomerates, the largest Conglomerate in Europe. I think they've recently acquired most of the banking institutions around England and are looking to buy out more around the world." She sighed again once they had returned to their lockers and began to gather their wand and books for first class.

Harry was having a little trouble taking all of her words in and shook her head to herself in amazement, closing her locker again and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I don't understand…How do you know all of these things if you've just transferred here, Pansy? Do you know them…?" She asked, failing to notice the way Pansy's shoulders stiffened at her words as she turned back around.

"Of course not, Harry! I just…keep myself updated on elite Wizarding society, that's all." She answered but Harry was obviously still confused as she followed Pansy down the hallway again.

"Why do they call themselves the S-4?"

Pansy snorted at her question and looked at her as though she was crazy. "Isn't it obvious, Harry? S-4 stands for _Serpent Four…_It's because all of their family crests have serpents on them. Together, their families have donated _VERY LAVISH _amounts of money to this school so they virtually can do anything they want in here without getting into trouble. Bit of a monarchy if you ask me."

"And the Dark Mark…?"

The other girl stiffened again at this and looked slightly nervous as she answered.

"I know all about that because even the girls at Beauxbatons used to talk about it…It's apparently the mark S-4 brands you with if you've angered them somehow and they want you to pay the price. You get it once you open your locker and a snake comes out to bite you…The mark stays on your arm for days until the S-4's anger has been quelled and all the bullying stops. Also, since the S-4 are all second years, they particularly like to pick on the first years too… A bit scary, isn't it?"

As she listened more and more to Pansy's lucid explanation of the S-4 and all of the other students they had bullied and given the dark mark, Harry found herself slowly growing more and more irritated and rather disgusted at the obviously different culture of S-4 and SSPAM. She couldn't _believe _that an educational institution as prestigious as this one would allow the S-4 to treat other students that way – even if their families did donate generous amounts of money to the school and its teachers.

_Goldstein was right…The S-4 are nothing but disgusting pigs…I don't like them one bit._

Trying her best to hide the look of revulsion on her face, Harry merely nodded at Pansy's words and sighed, knowing her disinterest was probably showing in her eyes anyway. As they turned a corner and said their goodbyes to each other to separate to their classes, Pansy blushed again and gestured sharply to their right, causing Harry to turn around slightly and follow her wide-eyed stare.

"Why, what's—"

Harry cut herself off in midsentence and froze dead in her tracks.

Despite her newly found disgust for them and their actions, even she couldn't hide her extreme nervousness when she caught sight of the S-4 sauntering down the hallway in their direction, their handsome faces set into smirks as all the students scattered quickly to make a path for them.

As they passed by the corner where Harriet and Pansy were standing, Malfoy took that opportunity to narrow his eyes and kick irritably at a nearby trashcan, causing both Harry and Pansy to wince when they heard the trashcan clanging noisily along the marble castle floors. Krum and Nott both laughed in amusement at this, shaking their heads and clapping Malfoy on the back before the three walked off, their loud, drawling voices echoing down the long corridor as they walked away.

Ignoring Pansy's nervous stammering beside her, Harry rolled her eyes to herself in disgust at Malfoy's behavior and shook her head. She had just placed her books onto a nearby table and was about to lean down to pick the discarded trash can back up but she stopped and froze up again when she realized that Blaise Zabini was not too far away from her and headed towards the trashcan as well.

Noticing the handsome boy's remaining presence for the first time, Harry stood back against the wall and watched with soft green eyes as Zabini seemed to have stayed behind his friends after Malfoy's little stunt and bent down slowly, reaching a perfectly groomed hand over to the trash can. Then, to Harry's further surprise, the Zabini Heir picked it up and placed it carefully back onto its proper place at the very corner of the corridor, pausing to make sure to place its lid neatly back on.

Once he had finished and had turned back around, his intense, blue eyes met Harry's for the briefest moment and she froze up again, well aware of the growing blush on her pale cheeks. Zabini didn't say anything, however, nor did he show any form of reaction on his serene, handsome face as he just stared blankly at her, blinking once as he let his eyes survey her stiff form from head to toe.

Both Harry and Pansy stood shock still as he did this, unsure of how to act in his presence.

Then, as though nothing had happened, he turned away again, shoved his other hand into the pocket of his robes and sauntered down the corridor after the rest of the S-4, never noticing that Harry's thoroughly dazed, emerald green eyes lingered intently on his lean frame as he walked away.

Just as Zabini turned the corner and disappeared from their line of sight, Harry looked back at Pansy once more, barely able to register the other girl's whispers at what had happened. As she said her goodbyes to Pansy again and began heading down the corridor towards her first classroom for that morning, the image of Blaise Zabini's deep set, penetrating blue eyes continued to plague her mind.

* * *

**A/N: **No, this is NOT a Blaise/femHarry fic. This is _still _a Draco/femHarry fic, don't worry everyone! ^_^ Like I said, I'm just patterning the story after the events of Hana Yori Dango so the storyline dictates as such that Harry likes Blaise first. We'll see how things progress later on, ne? ^_^

Btw. Since this is AU, I made it as such that Harry and Co. go home after school every day. The world is such that a witch/wizard first attends an Intermediary Magical School (sort of like HS), then Magical College. Just to clarify things so people don't get confused. Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter!

Do you think I should continue this story? **TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, MMKAY? PLEASE REVIEW!**

**CHEERS! ^_^**


	2. Two Worlds Collide

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** Wow….Next chapter already up. Hahaha. Thankfully, I didn't have any work this weekend so it gave me some time to work on the next chapter already. Hope you all enjoy this! :D

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Two Worlds Collide**

"Wait, wait, wait, Harry! So you're telling me…These S-4 guys rule the _school?"_

Harriet fought the urge to roll her eyes at the excitement she heard in Ginny's voice and sighed again, shaking her head as she reached over the counter to pour out another mug of butterbeer. After setting that and the order of food on her tray, she stood back up with a grunt.

"Ginny, I don't think you're listening to the point of the story here. Hermione, will you help me explain to her _why _these jerks are so repulsive?" Harry snapped irritably at Hermione, rolling her eyes before she walked off, heading towards the customers at the very end of the Three Broomsticks.

Holding in a round of laughter at the irritation she read clearly from her best friend's stance, Hermione stood behind the counter and continued to set more food onto plates as she waited for Harry to come back from serving their customers. Once the black-haired girl had returned and had set her empty tray onto the table, Hermione smiled teasingly at her and gave her a knowing wink.

"Don't mind Harry here, Ginny…She just spent the last two hours after school today telling me _all about _this handsome guy she met who was a member of this supposed, _horrible _S-4." She teased again, her words inciting Harry's eyes to flash in anger as she turned and gave her a horrified glare.

"I was _NOT, _Hermione and I didn't even meet Blaise Zabini! He just stared me down and looked at me like I was some kind of blemish to be removed! It didn't mean anything!" She retorted hastily, flushing even darker when Hermione and Ginny both just smiled at each other and giggled.

Grumbling under her breath and choosing to ignore the way the other two girls were now whispering to themselves, Harry just rolled her eyes again and got the next tray of food off the counter, whipping back around sharply to deliver the order to their customers. Once she had given them their orders and had given them a friendly smile, she sauntered back over to her two laughing girl friends and tried not to groan when Ginny looked at her with a gleam in her bright blue eyes.

"So…Who is this supposed Blaise Zabini guy of yours, Harry…? You don't mean _THE _Blaise Zabini, do you…? As in the only son and heir of Antonio Zabini, Minister of Magic?" Ginny asked with a sharp gasp, her eyes widening in utter amazement. At her excitement, Harry just grunted once and nodded stiffly, unsure of what else to say as Ginny suddenly went off again in a loud, shrill voice.

"Oh Merlin's Beard, Harry! You've hit the ultimate jackpot! If you get Blaise Zabini to fall for you, you'll be my absolute role model! So listen…How about the other members of S-4, they single? Or are they—" Ginny was cut off abruptly when Hermione finally spoke up, setting another round of newly cooked food onto the counter before looking up and giving Harry with a comforting smile.

"So how were your first few classes today, Har…? Have you decided on the specialization you'll be taking yet?" She asked curiously, causing Ginny to pout to herself at the sudden shift of topic.

Harry seemed to appreciate this, however, and gave Hermione a grateful smile, shaking her head slowly as she set more of the plates onto her tray. "Not yet, Hermione…But I will _soon. _My first few classes were amazing! They really have a detailed curriculum for each subject so it'll allow me to study all the topics in advance." She explained, laughing at the look of jealousy on Hermione's face.

She eventually sobered though and frowned to herself, thinking back at the rather horrible experience she had gotten from her last class – Advanced Potions. As she balanced her tray back onto the palm of her left hand, she gave Hermione a frowning look. "Actually…_All _my classes were great except for my last one…Double Advanced Potions with this nasty Professor named Severus Snape."

Hermione looked curious at her words but again had to wait until after Harry had delivered the tray of food and drinks to their customers. Once the black-haired girl had done so and walked back over to stand beside them, Hermione offered her a consoling smile and raised a curious eyebrow.

"Why…? Terror teacher or something?"

If anything, Harry's frown deepened even more at this and she shook her head.

"No, strangely…He's just…_Nasty." _She plopped herself down onto one of the stools by the counter and rested her elbows on the table. "He spent the first half of the period lecturing us about our behavior and the next fifteen minutes after that mocking me for being a, what he calls, _'half-breed'." _Harry frowned even deeper at the memory and rested her chin on her palms with a soft sigh.

"From there, the name seemed to spread and everyone else around school was calling me half-breed. I suppose I should have expected that but doesn't mean I have to like it. They talk about having muggle blood like it's a bad thing." She mused to herself, failing to see the uncomfortable look in Hermione's eyes. Fortunately, Ginny did and cleared her throat, giving Harry a comforting smile.

"Well, I'm sure you've met at least _one _good person there, right Harry? I mean…Don't tell me you didn't, you practically make friends with _everybody!_" Ginny inquired cheerfully, to which Harry replied with a small smile and uncertain nod. "Well I did make friends with this girl named Pansy, I suppose…But..Well…I don't know…I'm not so sure about her." She told to herself more than them.

Hermione and Ginny both gave her a confused look and raised their eyebrows.

"Why…? Was she as horrible as the others?" Hermione asked but Harry shook her head and fused her eyebrows together as she tried to think of the best way to describe her impression of Pansy.

"I don't know, just…Something about her seems a bit…_off…_You know? I mean—" Harry let out a small laugh and gave both her friends a reassuring smile. "Don't get me wrong, she's nice and all… But I don't know…There's this aura about her that I don't quite understand…" Her voice trailed off and she stared ahead in thought for a couple of seconds, causing Hermione and Ginny to look confused.

After several more seconds, Harry finally blinked her suspicions away and shook her head hastily, waving the topic away. "A—anyway, forget I said anything! H—how was school for _you _two? How was MUGG, Hermione? Did you see all our friends there?" She asked, waiting as Hermione blinked and smiled at her again, nodding as she began to clean the counter with a cleaning charm.

"Yes everyone was there, Harry…Our classes were amazing, as usual. I particularly liked my Transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall. She seemed a bit stern though but I think I can—"

Hermione cut herself short and her eyes widened as she flicked them over to the entrance of the Three Broomsticks, causing the other two girls to blink as well and follow her gaze. It took a couple of seconds for Harry to realize who Hermione was actually staring at and as soon as she did, she felt the involuntarily blush rushing into her cheeks. Sighing and grudgingly adjusting her waitress uniform, Harry ignored the teasing smirks she was receiving from Hermione and Ginny and walked off.

When she got to the group of three MUGG students who had seated themselves into a booth at the far end of the room, she cleared her throat and caught the attention of the one in the middle.

"Hey Ced…What can I get for you guys, today?" She asked in what she hoped was a friendly tone of voice, forcing her green eyes up to meet the hazel eyes of her ex-boyfriend, Cedric Diggory.

The older teen immediately flushed at the sight of her but smiled back, nodding once at her in greeting before he turned and gestured her to the two other boys with him. "Hey Har…Pleasant evening to you. These are my two friends, Ernie and Justin. Guys, this is Harriet Potter." He introduced politely, causing both boys' eyes to widen as they smirked and surveyed Harry closely.

Harry shifted uncomfortably at their gaze and tried to smile back at them, only for her smile to falter into an awkward grimace seconds later when she heard Justin's next comment. "Niiiice...So you and Diggory here used to go out, eh…? A pity he let you go, you're definitely gorgeous. Hey Ced, you wouldn't mind if _I _asked Harriet out on a date sometime right?" Justin seemed to be leering a little too closely at Harriet's legs for her liking and she moved away, her voice turning cold as she spoke.

"Nice to meet you too. Ced—" Cedric winced at her angry tone and looked up, giving her a sheepish, apologetic smile. "—I'll come back once you guys have decided on your orders." She didn't bother waiting for Cedric to nod before she turned and sauntered back towards the counter, muttering under her breath when she continued to feel both Justin and Ernie's stare at her as she walked away.

When she finally got to the counter, she found only Ginny there as Hermione had gone off to take some orders from other newly arrived customers. Ginny gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her gently on the back, flicking her eyes curiously to the two MUGG third years Cedric had brought.

"Nothing's changed since then, huh…?" She asked, watching as Harriet's eyes flashed in anger and she nodded, grumbling under her breath. "Nope…He's still the same ignorant jerk who lets his friends treat me that way. I don't understand _WHY _he hangs out with such creeps…" She sighed and shook her head, brushing away the locks of black hair that cascaded down and fell into her eyes.

Giving the older girl a small, sad smile, Ginny shrugged and went back to pouring more butterbeer. "Such a shame, really…I thought you two were the _cutest _couple back in Intermediary school. I mean…You looked so good together, I thought you'd work it out somehow…Oh well…" She stopped talking when Harry's eyes flashed again and she glared at her, shaking her head with a scowl.

"It takes more than good looks for a relationship to work, Gin—" Harry's sentence ended up in another growl when she saw Cedric signaling to her again, indicating that they were going to order.

Squelching back the urge to hex the leering idiots beside him, Harry nodded again and braced herself as she walked back over to them. Cedric seemed to have talked to them somehow for Harry was able to take their orders in peace and just as she had thanked them and was going to walk back to the counter, Cedric looked up and met her eyes again, giving the younger teen small, sad smile.

"You look really beautiful, Harry…It was…nice seeing you again."

Harry had to fight the urge to blush at his words and gave him a carefully guarded smile back.

"You too, Cedric."

Before she could say anything else, Harry quickly turned and pointedly walked away, never noticing the way the Cedric's eyes lingered wistfully on her retreating back as he watched her go.

* * *

"Harry, sweetheart! You're going to be late for school, love! Hurry up!"

Harry cringed at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's frantic voice echoing through the door of her bedroom at the Burrow that morning and hastily sped up as she forced herself into her SSPAM uniform.

"I'm almost done, Mrs. Weasley! I'll be down in five minutes! I swear!" She hollered right back, wincing again because she knew her loud voice probably echoed throughout the small house and that Fred and George were probably sniggering to themselves right now at Harry's perpetual lateness.

Grumbling sleepily under her breath, Harriet rushed to her mirror once she had finished putting on her uniform and hastily began running a brush through her long black tresses, cursing herself for letting her hair grow past her shoulders and making dressing up harder for herself.

As she did this, she stared briefly at her reflection in the mirror and frowned, suddenly remembering to herself how she was probably one of the very few girls at SSPAM who did not put any make-up on her face. For a minute, she nearly debated with herself whether or not she should but soon after, she decided against it and scoffed in derision, giving her reflection a stern, pointed glare.

"I'm in SSPAM to _LEARN_ and I'm not going into that snotty school as anyone else but _MYSELF_ – poor, make-up less and simple. Just as I've always been." She nodded to herself in affirmation at that, her green eyes suddenly glowing brightly as they studied her features closely in the mirror.

A framed magical picture of both her parents – James and Lily Potter – stood perched on her mirror and she smiled briefly at them, giving both her parents their morning greeting by kissing her fingertips touching the picture gently. Looking at them, it was easy to see where Harriet got most of her features from – her long black hair, pale skin and aristocratic face. She had obviously inherited most of them from her Dad, who Harriet thought was one of the most handsome men during his time.

Her beautiful mother, however, Harriet got her eyes from – a stunning shade of emerald green. That wasn't the only thing she got from her mother, however, and that Harriet was sure of. For she may have gotten more of her father's physical features, Harriet knew she had inherited her mother's admirable _simplicity _and _perseverance._ She knew she had because otherwise, Harriet didn't know how she ever would have made it through when her parents had died in that fire and she was left all alone.

Sighing heavily and trying her best not to think about her parents' death again, Harriet finally grabbed her glasses from her drawer and placed them on, peering at herself through the mirror again. As she self-consciously brushed through her hair again, she thought back onto those two traits – _simplicity _and _perseverance_ – and immediately, her mind was brought back to a particular memory.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Merlin, She's so _pretty! _Isn't she, Har? She looks just like a princess! Isn't she a model now?"

Harriet couldn't even answer Hermione's awed exclamations from her own blatant admiration as she looked up from the crowd of watching Hogwarts graduates that year and stared, wide-eyed at the figure of the speaker for the graduation ceremony. None other than _Fleur Evangeline Delacour – _SSPAM Valedictorian, Heiress to the prestigious Delacour Family, International Model for Witch Weekly and Witch Glamour magazine, and from what she heard, leader of several charity groups for children.

Smiling warmly at all of the starry-eyed Hogwarts graduates, Fleur rose to her feet the minute Headmaster Dumbledore had called her name to the podium onstage and walked towards the front – moving with the grace and fluidity of a true born, natural aristocrat. Fully aware that she was still staring and gawking with wide eyes from her seat, Harry swallowed the dryness forming in her throat and listened closely as Fleur began her speech, her beautiful features looking almost ethereal.

"It ees my absolute pleasure to be 'ere zees afternoon, my beloved graduates…I am 'onored zat I 'ave been chosen to be your speaker…It ees always a pleazure to get the opportunity to influence young minds such as yourselves." She paused and smiled at them again, drawing Harry's attention to the unmistakable kindness in her eyes and the way she spoke with true genuine compassion.

Unable to help herself, Harriet leaned over and whispered something to Hermione beside her.

"She's my role model, Hermione…And perhaps, aside from my father, the only other reason I also agreed to attend SSPAM this year…I want to be exactly like her someday…She's everything I could ever hope to be and so much more. Beautiful, intelligent, true to herself, independent, Strong..." She knew she sounded like a star-struck child and Hermione chuckled, nudging her in admonishment.

"I know she is, Harry…You've been telling Ron and me that for the last two years."

Harry shook her head and whispered to her again, still keeping her eyes trained on Fleur and listening intently to her speech. "But I _mean _it, Hermione…Did you hear? She just got a scholarship to pursue International Law in France this year…I mean, _a scholarship? _And Law?She doesn't even need to study, she's already so rich and all and yet she says she wants to pursue law to help the less fortunate around the world. She's…not _real, _'Mione!" In the middle of her ranting, Harriet failed to notice her voice rose several levels and got shushed by some of the other students in front, causing her to flush immediately in embarrassment when even Fleur blinked and looked at their direction.

The SSPAM valedictorian paused in the middle of her speech for several minutes and met Harriet's embarrassed, apologetic eyes, only to smile gently and turn back to the crowd.

With one last nod and encouraging smile, Fleur ended her speech with a softly spoken line.

"And so…Dear graduates…I leave you with only one piece of advice zat I myself believe 'as gotten me where I am now…_Be true to yourself…And never give up without a fight…Do your best."_

As soon she had ended her speech, the whole Hall of graduates burst into a round of applause.

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

_**

* * *

**_

Harry sighed to herself again at the memory and finally set her hairbrush back down onto the dresser, looking back at her reflection in the mirror and finally managing a bright, cheerful smile.

"Be true to yourself…And never give up without a fight."

She grinned and finally grabbed her bag from the floor, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Do your best, Harry."

Just as Harriet had turned and had reached for the doorknob of her room, she heard Mrs. Weasley's frustrated voice bellowing through the hallways again, causing her to wince in nervousness.

_"HARRIET JAMIE POTTER! YOU COME DOWN NOW THIS INSTANT BEFORE I DRAG YOU OUT OF YOUR ROOM BY YOUR HAIR! YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE! I MEAN IT!" _

Laughing sheepishly and ducking her head, Harriet raced hastily out of her room.

* * *

Harriet walked into the SSPAM eating lounge later that afternoon with an aching headache and a growling stomach. Scowling to herself at the memory of once again being ridiculed for being a half-blood by Professor Snape, she slumped down onto one of the empty tables and sighed in defeat.

_Who cares what they think, anyway? They're all just stuck-up prats! _She thought angrily to herself in annoyance, grunting once as she brought out the lunch Mrs. Weasley had prepared for her from her bag and set it onto the table. She took a few minutes unwrapping it and once she had, she smiled at the sight of one of favorite dishes – smoked chicken and fresh Caesar salad with dressing.

At the thought of how Mrs. Weasley must have purposely prepared her lunch that morning because it was her favorite, the remnants of Harry's anger began to melt away and she took a deep breath, feeling a little better than she had before. Just as she had taken a fork and was about to dig into the food, a chorus of high-pitched voices caught her attention and with dread, she turned around.

"Well, well, well…If it isn't our resident, half-breed _commoner_. What's the matter, Potter…? Are you honestly _that_ poorthat you can't afford any of the quality, gourmet cooked food at school?"

Harry stiffened at the giggly voice that had spoken and looked up slowly, meeting the nearly identical sneers of none other than Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, and Tracey Davis – three nasty second year girls from class 2-C who were always wearing heavy make-up on their faces and sporting so much jewelry on themselves that they glimmered in the light. They giggled to each other in their high-pitched voices again before walking over to Harry, crossing their arms over their chests.

Harriet already had a personal nickname in her head for them – the Terrible Trio.

They took one look at Harry's tattered schoolbag and black shoes again and smirked wider, meeting each other's laughing expressions before they walked over and circled around her form.

Clenching her hands slowly into fists, Harry carefully set her fork back down and took a deep, calming breath, willing herself not to explode at them. Unfortunately, the three girls didn't pay any attention to her reaction and chatted loudly to themselves again as though Harry wasn't even there.

"Oh isn't it just _dreadful, _Millie? Imagine…I wonder what's happening to our school these days that they'd actually give half-breed rubbish like _her _admission. I mean, just…_look at her!" _

Harry reddened in humiliation at Daphne's loud voice, trying to ignore the other sneers she was receiving from the other watching students as they listened to the terrible trio giggling again. In response to Daphne's question, Millicent smirked as well and took one resentful look at Harry's form.

"Half-breed like you don't belong in this school, Potter." She trailed her resentful eyes once over Harry's belongings again and sneered, narrowing her eyes in dislike. "We don't care if your father _IS _James Potter, you're not one of us and you'd do better to save yourself the humiliation and leave."

Harriet's humiliation was long replaced by a boiling anger at this point but Tracey Davis soon followed this up, giggling as well and giving Harry a well-practiced, fake smile. "Just go back to where you came from, _commoner. _You make _look _like an aristocrat but you're _far _from one. _VERY FAR._"

Looking extremely satisfied with themselves, the Terrible Trio shared another smirk again but just as they were about to turn away and leave, Harry's voice suddenly broke through their laughter.

"Purebloods or not, you all act more like _rubbish_ than I ever could…You three annoy the hell out of me! What I do and whether or not I'm a student here is _NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!"_ She snapped back easily with a growl, her green eyes flashing dangerously as she met their shocked looks.

Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey all gaped openly at her, obviously not expecting the outburst. When Harry did nothing but glare and sneer calmly back, the three girls finally reddened and scowled at her, flipping their hair over their shoulders before turning and walking away with a loud 'humph!'.

As soon as the Terrible Trio had gone and Harry was once again left alone on the table, she let out a relieved sigh and turned back to her food, forcing a smile onto her face. _If those stupid girls think they can bother me with those insults…They've got another thing coming._ She thought firmly to herself, nodding in affirmation as she raised her fork to her lips and finally took the first bite.

The minute she did, her green eyes brightened once again and she closed her eyes, reveling in the delicious taste of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful home-style cooking. _Mrs. Weasley always makes the best food in the world…I wouldn't waste money on the 'gourmet' dishes here even if I 'had' money._ Harry thought to herself again with a small smile as she opened her eyes and took another small bite.

She was so caught up in her lunch that she almost failed to notice Pansy Parkinson walking into the eating lounge several minutes later, the expression on the older girl's face almost frightened as she tried to sidestep around the two hulking boys trailing after her. Looking up, Harry watched with worried eyes as Pansy timidly tried to excuse herself from the two boys again, wincing and blushing shyly as she tried to push them away when they had grabbed at her wrists and tried to drag her along.

As they got closer, Harriet was finally able to make out what they were saying.

"Oh n—no, Vincent…Gregory…I'm _fine. _I was going to have lunch with a friend already, you don't have to treat me…N—no, seriously, I'm okay. Please let me go, now. I really should go—" Pansy winced again when the boy she had addressed as 'Gregory' seemed to scowl and tug her harder.

"Aw come on, Pansy…Have lunch with us instead. Crabbe and I here will show you all around the school afterwards, we promise…Now come on, be a good girl and join us." He smirked and began to yank at Pansy's arm harder, causing the girl to pale considerably and try to wrestle herself away.

"N—no, I really mustn't…Y—you see, I really was planning to meet a friend—"

Harry suddenly took that opportunity to look up and call out over to her, giving Pansy a friendly smile as she gestured for the other girl to join her. "Pansy! You're late! Here, I saved you a seat!" When Pansy looked gratefully at her, she pretended to gesture over to the seat across from her.

"Come on, then! What are you waiting for?"

Heaving out a sigh of relief and turning back to give both a disappointed Vincent and Gregory a pointed smile, she finally managed to wrench her arm free from their grasps and hurried over to Harry's table. As she took the seat across the other girl, Pansy gave her a thoroughly grateful smile and set her bag down onto the table with a sigh. Smiling back, Harry gave her a curious look.

"Are you okay…? Those two jerks didn't look that charming from here." She mentioned with a hint of teasing in her voice, causing Pansy to shudder in dislike and give her a grin of agreement.

"Yeah…Thanks for that, Harry. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come in like you did. That was Crabbe and Goyle, I hate those creeps!" She shuddered again and sighed, resting both her arms onto the table in exhaustion. "Everything seems so different here in SSPAM…At least from Beauxbatons. I'm almost afraid I'm not going to fit in well…I hope I do, eventually." Pansy sounded so meek and nervous as she said this that Harry was hopeful as she voiced her thoughts.

"I see…By any chance, Pansy, are you a middle-class commoner too…?" She hadn't meant for the question to sound so blunt but fortunately, Pansy seemed to have failed to hear her question altogether. The older teen was too busy staring at Harry's lunch spread and making a face of dislike.

"What's that…? Do they serve…_that…_here in the school? It doesn't look gourmet at all…" She mused softly in query and the minute she had said that, Harry's hopeful look dissolved into a mildly amused smile. Sighing, she chuckled helplessly and returned Pansy's curious look with a knowing grin.

"So…You _are _a rich girl too, after all…Oh well…No harm in hoping." She reached for her fork again and hesitated slightly, before looking up at Pansy again and offering her a bite of her chicken.

"Here…Would you like to try some? It's just smoked chicken…You might like it."

Pansy looked uncertainly at her and her offered fork for several seconds, almost as though she was unsure of what to say. Finally, giving Harry a shy, nervous smile, she nodded and took the fork carefully. "Thank you…" Her hand shook slightly as she raised the food up to her lips but as soon as she had taken a bite, her eyes popped open again and she smiled back warmly with bright blue eyes.

"It's delicious, Harry."

Harriet grinned at her, raising an eyebrow as though in disbelief.

"Really…? You mean that?"

Pansy smiled back, nodding her head emphatically.

Harriet laughed and shrugged, accepting the fork back from Pansy just as the girl began rifling through her bag again. As she did this, Harry noticed the other girl's textbooks and raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw that though Pansy was in second year, some of the subjects she seemed to be taking were the same as Harry's classes – the same level of those in first year.

"Hey Pans…I hope you don't mind my asking. Why are you taking some of the same subjects as I am…? Aren't you in second year?" Harry asked curiously as she watched Pansy unloading more of her books onto the table. At her question, Pansy seemed to stop abruptly and looked up at her with wide eyes, paling in realization when she had heard Harry's question. Then, as quickly as the look had appeared, Pansy replaced it quickly with another bright smile and let out a reassuring laugh.

"Oh…Well, that's because I wasn't just a transferee from Beauxbatons, Harry. I had recently taken a year off from school before coming to SSPAM so I missed out on some classes..." She waved the matter away and turned back to Harry, her blue eyes sweeping over her with mild interest.

"So tell me a little more about yourself, Harry…What brings you to SSPAM if you graduated from Hogwarts? Your last name is _Potter_ right…? As in _the _daughter of _James Potter?"_

At Pansy's slightly impressed tone of voice, Harry flushed and nodded ruefully in response.

"I'm afraid so…I'm _nothing_ like my father though. He was the perfect specimen…Smart, elegant, sophisticated, eloquent…Graceful…Handsome. I'm afraid I'm none of those things." She kidded lightly and Pansy laughed, shaking her head and giving Harry an otherwise comforting smile.

"I think you're very beautiful, Harry…Even without any make-up…I actually envy you."

Harry felt a little uncomfortable when she thought she saw what almost seemed like angry jealousy flashing in Pansy's bright blue orbs but once again, it was gone the second after it had appeared that Harry wasn't even sure if she had actually seen anything there. Nevertheless, she decided against the latter and laughed back uncertainly, nodding and giving Pansy a grateful smile.

"Thank you…Though I must say I must look like a frump next to you and your glamorous self." She kidded again and this time, Pansy seemed to relax and giggled, shaking her head in mock denial.

"Oh I don't think so, Harry…" She drummed her manicured nails onto the table in thought. "So…If you don't mind my asking…Your mother…Is she really a…Well…You know…?" Pansy winced when Harry instantly seemed to stiffen uncomfortably, her green eyes flashing at her in warning.

"Yes, my mother was a muggleborn witch…And she was the kindest, most wonderful, most beautiful woman I knew…My father was lucky to have her. And he knew that…Every second of his life."

Harriet hadn't meant to sound so defensive as she said this and she immediately felt guilty afterwards when Pansy bit her lip and looked up at her, giving her a small, nervous smile and shrug.

"I was…just asking, Harry."

At the other girl's sudden meekness of voice, Harry felt another twinge of guilt and let out a soft exhale of breath, looking back up and meeting Pansy's apologetic grimace with a reassuring nod.

"I know, Pans…I'm sorry for snapping. It's just…It's been a long, bad day." She admitted more to herself than to the other girl, raising a hand and massaging the bridge of her nose.

Pansy watched her curiously before reaching over to her bag and rifling through it for a couple of moments. When Harry managed to look back up a little later, Pansy was already pouring them both a cup of bright orange juice, causing Harry to smile gratefully at her when she offered her one glass.

"Here…You look like you could use a drink, Harry. You're way too stressed out about your classes…You should learn to loosen up a little bit." She teased, offering the other girl the cup in her hand. Harry nodded gratefully and was about to take it when Pansy pulled it away again and stood up, her blue eyes flicking knowingly over to the corner of the eating lounge where the school served ice.

"Oh…Wait a minute, it's not yet cold. Let me go get us some ice first—"

She didn't bother waiting for Harry to respond as she got up from her seat, failing to see the look of warning written clearly all over Harry's pale features as she turned around. Unfortunately, this proved to be a _very _bad move on her part as the minute she had turned, she collided clumsily with a tall and _solid _figure nearby, causing the two cups of juice in her hands to spill out right in front of her.

"Oh Merlin—"

Harry shot up from her seat immediately and froze, her bright green eyes slowly growing as wide as saucers when she and Pansy looked up and finally caught sight of who she had collided with.

_Shit._

She heard the curse word echoing in her head but Harriet seemed unable to do anything else except stare and gape uselessly at the stiff, immensely _irritated _figure of the handsome silver blonde in front of them, his dark gray eyes flashing as he fixed them angrily on Pansy's pale, cowering form.

The entire eating lounge had fallen into an uneasy state of nervous silence after that, each one of the students in the room watching tensely as Draco Malfoy, dressed impeccably in his usual expensive robes and looking just as handsome as ever, sneered down at the gaping girl in front of him.

Behind him, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Viktor Krum had stopped talking and kidding around with each other and stared, the latter two smirking to themselves when they saw the incredibly angry expression on their leader's face. The S-4 had looked as though they had been on their way down from their private eating lounge situated at the second floor of the area when Pansy had unexpectedly turned around and collided with Malfoy, spilling juice all over the front of his shirt.

It wouldn't have been as bad as it was had Malfoy not been wearing white that day – which from what Harriet knew was because the S-4 weren't even required to wear SSPAM uniforms because of their influence. Now, as they all gaped stupidly at the bright orange spot that stained Malfoy's expensive white jacket, Pansy fell to her knees onto the floor in front of him and started stammering.

"D—Draco! F—forgive me, I—I wasn't watching w—where I was going a—and—"

"_Shut up!"_

Pansy winced again at the curtness of Malfoy's angry voice and dropped her eyes down to the floor again, practically cowering at his feet as she trembled and hugged her arms around herself. Around them, the rest of the watching SSPAM students sneered and watched with growing anticipation as Malfoy seemed to grow even more irritated at Pansy's groveling and used a single foot to shove her aside, sneering angrily with cold, flashing gray eyes when the girl's only response was to whimper.

Harriet stiffened at this and clenched her hands into fists, watching with growing anger as Malfoy lazily raised his wand and pointed it at Pansy's huddled figure again, forcing her roughly back up. She let out a startled cry at this and cringed in dismay when Malfoy held her suspended in front of him, his sneer growing even colder and more malicious as he inspected her terrified features.

When he didn't say anything for a long moment and merely continued to hold Pansy suspended in mid-air, Harriet almost rushed forward again, stopping only when Malfoy finally spoke.

"You stupid girl."

Despite the soft, snake-like hiss with which Malfoy had spoken, Pansy cringed again anyway and gulped nervously when he slowly raised his wand again, pointing it directly at her throat. Then, to everyone's confusion, Malfoy narrowed his eyes and impatiently slung his jacket off, hurling the discarded clothing at Pansy's form in his anger and causing the shuddering girl to whimper again.

_Stop him!_ Harry's mind screamed at her but she stood rooted to the spot, watching in utter shock as Malfoy walked forward and peered down so that he was staring into Pansy's scared features. Seeing her expression, his sneer widened and he began twirling his wand with deliberate slowness.

"It's cold."

Pansy's eyes widened in confusion and she looked up at him, noting that he was wearing a short-sleeved gray shirt underneath his jacket. However, she cowered away again moments later when she was met with Malfoy's hard, steel-like eyes. Ignoring the watching crowd around them, he laughed harshly and turned to Pansy again, his sharp eyes lingering on his jacket on the floor.

"Without my jacket…I might catch a cold." Malfoy's eyes flashed again and he suddenly dropped his wand, grabbing Pansy by the front of her robes and hoisting her up several inches. "What do you plan to do when that happens, you stupid girl…?" He ignored the disapproval in Blaise's eyes and finally raised his voice, startling Harry when his voice shifted from a whisper to an infuriated shout.

_"I'M TOO IMPORTANT TO CATCH A COLD, BITCH! I'M THE HEIR TO MY ENTIRE FAMILY!"_

"I—I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Draco! I—I'm so sorry—"

Pansy began sobbing in fear at this point but Malfoy just looked even more irritated.

He looked as though he was going at shout at her again and just as Harry thought she had enough of it all, she was surprised when Nott and Krum finally stepped forward and gently wrestled Pansy out of Malfoy's grasp, giving the S-4 leader a consoling but mildly amused pat on the shoulder.

"Oh come on, Draco…Stop picking on such a pretty little girl…It's too early in the day for you to be picking fights. Just chill…We'll buy a new jacket, later." Krum drawled idly as he peered down into Pansy's tearful face and trailed a finger down her cheek, giving the crying girl a playful grin.

Malfoy looked as though he was going to snap back when Nott suddenly spoke up as well, heaving out a wistful sigh as he walked over to where Pansy was huddled on the floor and knelt down, giving the girl a handsome smile of his own. "Yeah…Too bad though..I probably would have dated you had you been a little older—" He paused and winked at her, causing Pansy to cower away again.

"—you wouldn't happen to have any older sisters now, would you?" He teased but even before Pansy got the chance to answer, Malfoy rounded on her again and snatched her up by her arm off the floor, forcing her back onto her feet as another round of angry shouts threatened to issue from his lips.

"_THE NEXT TIME YOU THINK OF SPLASHING YOUR DISGUSTING DRINKS ON ME, YOU'LL BE WISHING YOU'D NEVER ENTERED THIS SCHOOL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? ANSWER ME—"_

Pansy had opened her mouth to stammer out a response but Harry finally couldn't take it anymore and beat her to it. She ignored the warning bells in her head and rushed out onto the scene, stepping towards Malfoy and screaming back at him as firmly and as loudly as she possibly could.

"_STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, SHE DIDN'T MEAN ANY HARM!" _

Again, she was met with the deafening silence of the stunned, watching students in the room.

As soon as he had processed what had happened and who had spoken up against him, Malfoy seemed to have forgotten about Pansy altogether and froze, his cold silver eyes narrowing slowly. Then, as Harry suddenly backed away and swallowed the lump in her throat, Malfoy finally lifted his glare from Pansy's sobbing form and fixed it carefully on Harry's own pale features with a slow sneer.

"What did you say…?"

Harry paled at his angry hiss and knowing she was probably suicidal, she answered him again.

"Please let her go…She apologized! She didn't mean to crash into you, it was an accident!"

He didn't say anything to her, merely looking her up and down and studying her intently with his flashing, steel eyes and sneering wider when he saw how she had fallen silent at his expression. Harry, however, stood her ground and met his glare evenly, hoping to Merlin that he didn't notice the nervous pounding of her heart against her chest and the way she had broken into a cold sweat.

Finally, after what seemed like forever of her trying not to melt under the sheer intensity of his glare, Malfoy dropped Pansy from his hands as though she was a sack of garbage and tore his eyes away from her, turning back to gesture impatiently to the rest of the watching S-4 behind him.

"Let's go."

Pausing one last time to burn his silver eyes at a nervously trembling Harry once again, Malfoy gave the younger student a dark, warning sneer of contempt before he turned and shoved past the crowd that had formed around them, his loud footsteps reverberating over and over in Harry's ears.

As he left, both Krum and Nott turned to look at Harriet again and gave the nervous teen matching handsome smiles and flirtatious winks, the latter of the two patting her gently on the head. Feeling immensely relieved once the two had left, Harry almost thought they had all gone when one last lingering presence caught her attention and she looked up again, meeting Blaise Zabini's blank, penetrating blue eyes focused intently on her face from several steps away behind Nott and Krum.

The Zabini Heir was watching her silently, his eyes appearing to be studying her closely with a very small hint of curiosity hidden in their depths. Then, blinking once and shoving his hands wordlessly into his pockets once more, he turned and swept silently out of the lounge after the rest of the S-4, his footsteps much lighter and more languid that Harry remembered Malfoy's had been.

Closing her eyes and finally letting out the breath of air she had been holding ever since she stared into Malfoy's angry glare, Harry finally allowed herself to kneel down onto the floor beside Pansy. With a small smile, she reached a hand over and touched the crying girl gently on the shoulder.

"Hey…It's okay…They're gone now…It's okay…"

Pansy didn't answer but collapsed into her arms, sobs of relief and fear wracking her frame. Harriet sighed and tightened her arms around the other girl in comfort, knowing that the rest of the students in the lounge were still watching them but frankly, she couldn't really care at this point.

She was certain now that the S-4 were the biggest scumbags to have ever walked the face of this planet and she wanted nothing more and absolutely nothing _else_ to do with them.

Harriet wanted nothing more than to stay out of their business.

* * *

Of course, Harriet never knew she would be thinking back on that very thought of hers that next fateful morning. Nor did she ever anticipate how much her life had changed after that day.

For as she walked into SSPAM the next day and went her usual way to her locker, she never knew she had gotten in way over her head by messing with Malfoy and the S-4.

She never saw any of it all coming her way.

But as she opened her locker that morning and got the biggest scare of her life at the sight of the red-eyed snake that had sprung up from her locker and bit right at her arm, she knew.

As she stared, wide-eyed at the ugly snake-like black mark that began magically forming on her arm where the snake had bitten her, she _knew _that her life would never be the same again.

Pale with horror, the books Harriet balanced in her arms ended up tumbling onto the floor but she barely noticed, her ears ringing with the shouts that echoed throughout the corridors.

_"IT'S THE DARK MARK! HARRIET POTTER FROM CLASS 1-A GOT THE DARK MARK!"_

As the other students scattered away from her, Harriet collapsed onto the floor on her knees.

_ Like she always said, all she ever really wanted was a quiet, simple life._

She stared at the dark mark on her arm again, feeling all the blood draining from her cheeks.

_ But that was before she had gotten involved in their little game._

_

* * *

_**A/N: **And…._CLIFFHANGER! _Bwahahahaha! Wow…So early on in the story and already I'm leaving you guys with horrible evil cliffies…I must really love you all huh? *grins cheekily* Oh and thanks to _EVERYONE _who reviewed the first chapter! I'm just as excited as all of you for this story, it's a welcome balance from the heavy atmosphere I deal with whenever I write Phoenix Tears. :D

To those who were curious, **YES**_**, **_Sirius will be in this story simply because I love him! *giggle* But unfortunately, he will not be appearing until MUCH (I repeat, MUCH!) later on in the story so please be patient with me, alright? :D Oh and more information will be revealed about James and Lily's death in the later chapters so I hope you all stay tuned in with me, mmkay?

Of course, as this is a new story, I'll need all the help I can get so please be a dear everyone and **PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW! MWAH! CHEERS AND SEE YOU SOON! ^_^**


	3. And the Game Begins!

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** To the readers of my other story, Phoenix Tears, very sorry but I _WILL _update it as soon as I can. I'm afraid that story is so emotionally grueling for me that I find it much harder to write than this story so it takes me longer to get chapters out. Anyway…Here's the next chapter to this story! :D

* * *

**Chapter 3 – And the Game Begins!**

All throughout that morning, Harriet had that odd, prickly feeling at the back of her neck.

Narrowing her eyes and whipping around sharply for the fourth time that morning, she looked cautiously around the library again, eyeing the SSPAM students along the other tables. When neither of them seemed to be paying attention to her, one of Harry's eyebrows quirked up in confusion and she hesitantly returned to her homework, keeping her eyes narrowed in case of any more weirdness.

Pretty soon, she felt about a dozen pairs of eyes again burning into the back of her head that she couldn't resist turning around again, almost growling in frustration when no one caught her eye.

_Arrrgh! What's wrong with me? Have I officially lost my mind?_

She cursed herself under her breath and finally slammed her notebook shut, shoving it back into her bag and rising sharply from her seat. The legs of her chair made a sharp 'screeching' sound when she pushed it back and wincing, she looked up at the angry glare of the head librarian in front.

After giving her a sheepish smile and nod, Harry slung her bag strap over her shoulder and cast the silent, studying students around her one last suspicious glare. _I swear to MERLIN that they were all staring at me the entire time I was in here…Damn it…Am I getting bouts of paranoia?_

Harry never got to answer her own silent question though because as soon as she had turned around and made to walk down the aisle of desks towards the library exit, a foot came out of nowhere and stubbed right into her shoes. Failing to regain her balance in time, Harry let out an indignant yelp and stumbled immediately, crashing into a heap onto the floor with the contents of her bag spilling out.

_Bugger! Where did that foot come from? _

Wincing in pain from the bruise she felt forming on one of her knees, Harry looked up and immediately flushed in humiliation when she saw the entire library of students sneering at her, all of which were practically falling over themselves with laughter. Most – like the Terrible Trio: Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey – were giggling hysterically while others chose to give Harry a mocking smirk.

"Awww….What's wrong, half-breed? Have yourself a little clumsy moment there?"

Her face burning darker at their mocking voices and her knee throbbing from her fall, Harry sat up immediately and scrambled to gather her things back into her bag. Once she had done this, she got up again and made to race out of the library amidst the laughter. Unfortunately, as she got to the very front of the room just near the exit, a smirking third year suddenly raised his wand and pointed it at Harry as she passed, causing her to screech when her skirt went flying up and exposed her legs.

"_YOU BASTARD! DO YOU WANT ME TO HEX YOU?" _She raged at him, her green eyes suddenly flashing with anger as she rounded on the smirking boy behind her. Her screams instantly reached the ears of the Head Librarian at the front of the room again, gaining herself another warning glare.

"Miss Potter…One more noise out of you and I will kick you out of the library." The gray-haired, stern looking woman drawled poisonously at her, causing Harry's jaw to drop open in pure disbelief.

"B—but…_M—Madam Pince! _It wasn't my fault! Didn't you see what this jerk did? He made my skirt fly right up, that was _SEXUAL HARRASSMENT_!" She tried to reason with the older woman but Madam Pince just blinked calmly at her, her beady eyes falling to the prominent dark mark on her arm.

After a moment's worth of staring at the dark snake symbol, she glanced up at Harry's disbelieving expression again and merely answered the other girl with a cold, mocking sneer.

"You must be imagining things, Miss Potter…I didn't see anything."

Again, Harry's eyes flashed and her jaw dropped at Madam's Pince's response but even before she got the chance to speak up for herself, the Head Librarian spoke up again in a mocking voice.

"And get over yourself…Who would ever want to 'sexually harass' a _HALF-BREED, _anyway?" Madam Pince seemed to smirk wider at this, raising a single eyebrow at Harry's raging indignation.

"_WHAT?_ I—I don't believe this! How can you just stand there and let this—_ARGH!_" The rest of Harry's response ended up into another horrified screech when another one of the students behind her – this time a brown-haired second year she didn't even know – raised his wand and pointed it at her.

Within a couple of seconds after, Harry winced and felt the disgusting feeling of something crawling along the top of her head. She froze instantly, her eyes widening as the crawling moved downwards and she caught a glimpse of the huge, terrifying tarantula that sat right on her shoulder.

"_S—S—SPIDER—EEEEEEEEEE!" _She knew her voice must have jumped a good deal octaves higher because if anything, the laughter around her resounded again and she felt like breaking down.

Jumping away and jerkily shoving the spider off her shoulder, Harry tried to fight back the tears of humiliation burning her eyes as she found herself meeting Madam Pince's angry glare again. Finally fed up with all her noise, the librarian stood up from her chair at the front of the library and stomped towards her, pointing her wand warningly at Harry as she gestured to the front exit.

"Alright, Miss Potter…That was the _LAST _straw. Out of the library."

Still trying to blink away the tears of humiliation in her eyes, Harry lifted her head up but refused to budge from her position as she just glared at the older woman in angry disgust. Madam Pince met her glare easily with another mocking laugh, her lips curling into an ugly, warning sneer.

"_I SAID OUT, POTTER!"_

Swallowing the lump in her throat and struggling desperately to keep her chin high despite the chorus of laughter and taunting comments the other students were throwing at her, Harry quietly gathered her things back into her arms. She walked out of the library, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she stepped out into the crystal hallways, she looked up and froze sharply again.

"_HEY HALF-BREED! HEADS UP!"_

She only had about three seconds to react by blinking and widening her eyes before she cringed and bit back a squeak just before she was doused with a bucket of _ICE COLD_ murky water. Shivering violently and biting her tongue to keep herself from tearing up, she clenched her hands into fists and moved her bag away to prevent the rest of her expensive school books from getting wet.

Harry knew she must have looked like a fool as she dropped her bag onto the floor and knelt down on her knees, her hands trembling as she tried to dig through her bag for her wand. Unfortunately, before she got the chance to cast a proper cleaning/drying spell on herself, the two sneering boys responsible for dousing her suddenly appeared from the corner and snatched her wand out of her hands. They began tossing it up tauntingly into the air, giving her a wide smirk.

"Aww…All washed up are you, Potter? What's wrong? Going to _CRY _now?"

Tensing at their words, Harry angrily wiped the forming tears away from her eyes when she heard them and gave them both what she hoped was a cold, calculating glare.

"Give me back my wand…And you two might still have a chance of keeping your testicles."

The two laughing boys paled for a moment upon hearing her softly whispered hiss but they eventually shrugged her threat off and shook their heads, the taller one of which pocketing her wand.

"Sorry, darling…S-4's orders…You make them your enemy, you make the whole of SSPAM your enemy. Those are the rules…We're just playing the game." He told her with a haughty grin, holding his wand up at her again and preventing Harry from strangling him by pointing it at her throat.

She glared at them darkly at that, her face twisting into a mocking sneer at their words.

"You're all pathetic cowards…Do you all always follow what the S-4 tells you to do?"

The two boys stared back uncertainly at her, confused by her question but Harry just glared right back. She knew she was shivering very violently now from her wet clothes and also knew she should get changed before any of the dirt and grime in the water stained her uniform permanently but since one of the boys was still pointing a wand at her throat, she was unable to move at all.

One of the two boys in front of her, the slightly smaller one with an amused grin on his face, stepped forward beside his friend and pretended to sigh, shaking his head at her in mock remorse.

"It's too bad though…You just _had _to go and piss off Malfoy, didn't you darling? Such a shame too…You're awfully hot for a half-breed…Oh well…Orders are orders." He held up his wand as well, following his friend's stance and pointing it at her throat. As she stood there shivering, Harry took that moment to think about the helplessness of her situation, her eyes roaming desperately around her.

She took in her surroundings carefully, noting the deserted corridor and the fact that they seemed to be at the very end of a stretch of hallway. Sensing it was probably her best bet; she flicked her green eyes up over the two boys' shoulders and pretended to stare behind them in growing horror.

Feigning a nervous gulp, she began shaking even more and tried to take a step back.

"M—Malfoy—"

The two boys stiffened immediately at her shaky whimper and turned around sharply, only to blink and deeply regret their decision a moment later when Harry had taken advantage of their distraction and raised a fist, smirking in satisfaction when she managed to sock one of them in the eye.

_**SMACK!**_

One of the boys – the taller one – stumbled backwards against his friend in dismay, blinking one eye up blearily at Harry's narrowed green orbs. When she made to move towards them again with her fist still raised, the two boys met each other's panicked eyes before squeaking and sprinting for the opposite direction, their footsteps completely uncoordinated as they hurried to get away.

Harry smirked as she watched them go, feeling a sense of satisfaction welling up in her chest.

"_YEAH, YOU'D BETTER RUN YOU COWARDS! THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!"_

Her eyes narrowed and she smirked again, shaking her head as she turned around and snatched her bag off the floor. She was just about to dig for her wand to dry off when she realized her mistake and cursed, muttering under her breath as she looked back at where the boys had run off to.

_Oh bugger…Those two jerks took off with my wand…Ugh…I'd better go find them—_

She broke her own train of thought and paused again when she felt the presence of someone behind her, causing the black-haired girl to whip around quickly in caution. Seeing no one there, however, Harry frowned in confusion and whirled around again, only to scowl in irritation when she was met with the sight of Daphne, Millicent and Tracey's carefully made-up, sweetly smiling faces.

Seeing her shivering and the mud stains all over her uniform, the Terrible Trio suddenly smirked to themselves and met each other's eyes, not bothering to hide their disdain as they spoke up.

"Oh…Ew…Though I must say, Potter…No offense…This look really suits you. You look like the trash you are." Millicent and Tracey both giggled at Daphne's comment while Harry just stiffened.

"Just _LEAVE _me alone—"

"Bet you're regretting ever talking back to Draco now, huh…? Just who do you even think you _ARE_, Potter?" Millicent threw her a harsh sneer and scoffed at her in utter disdain. "I mean…You're _nothing _and you have the _NERVE _to go and speak out against the S-4 like that?" She lifted her nose into the air and let out a snobby, high-pitched 'humph!', causing Harry to flinch in growing irritation.

"Shut up! Who asked _YOU _anyway_—"_

"You deserve to be kicked out of SSPAM for good, Potter. You don't belong here…And you'd do us _ALL _a favor if by leaving yourself before the S-4 do it for you and have you expelled." Tracey added with a cold smile, her perfectly curled eyelashes sweeping down as she threw Harry a smug glare.

Growing incredibly irritated at their petty jibes, Harry clenched her hands into fists.

She wanted to say something else to the three girls – _ANYTHING _to rid her of this humiliated, inferior feeling – but at that moment, the 10AM bell for classes rang. The Terrible Trio giggled and sauntered off, flipping their hair over their shoulders at Harry as though she was an inanimate object.

Sighing in defeat, Harry tried to do the same and started walking to her first class.

As more and more students filled the hall, she found herself being shoved along with disdain. Wincing in pain as one muscular third year purposely bumped into her as he passed her in the crowd, Harry let out a soft cry just before her bag spilled out and scattered her things on the floor again.

Reddening at the echo of sniggers from the passing students, Harry knelt down quickly and began to gather them again, her fingers shaking as picked up her books from the floor. As she reached out and grabbed her notebook, however, she was startled when she realized that an expensive, shiny black leather shoe was resting on it, causing her to freeze and tilt her face back up.

She almost paled when she was met the sight of Draco Malfoy smirking down at her from where he was standing, one of his shoes still pinning her notebook to the floor and the other tapping loudly as though to mock her. Furious at his obvious amusement of her situation, Harry's green eyes hardened at the sight of the S-4 leader and she glared back, growing angrier at his next few words.

"_Harriet Jamie Potter…Class 1-A…Half-Breed…Commoner." _

Speaking with deliberate slowness, Malfoy continued to stand there for several more minutes and crossed his arms languidly over his chest. He stood there and stared down at her with a lazy smirk, his eyes trailing once over her drenched uniform and the mud that stained her white blouse.

Unable to do anything back from her crouching position on the floor, Harry just glared back at him and stubbornly refused to let her humiliation at his words show. Distractedly noting to herself that the rest of the S-4 was behind Malfoy and was watching the scene in mild interest, Harry forced a scowl onto her face and looked right into Malfoy's cold gray eyes, her cheeks burning with anger.

"_Malfoy…_Get your _FOOT _off my notebook…Before I dismantle it from your body."

Malfoy sneered at her, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he merely cocked a single, elegant eyebrow and turned slightly to address his friends. "Did any of you…_hear…_anything?"

Krum and Nott smirked to each other and shook their head in helpless amusement at Malfoy's antics while Zabini just stared languidly back at him, not bothering to answer the blonde's question. Shaking with fury, Harry's eyes narrowed and she tried to yank her notebook out from underneath Malfoy's foot with renewed strength but the blonde's eyes just hardened and he stood his ground.

Ignoring the curious looks Krum and Nott were giving him, he sneered again and finally stopped tapping his foot, unwinding his arms and slowly kneeling down so that he was level with Harriet's flushed, angry face. Making sure to keep his foot stamped heavily onto her notebook to keep it in place, Malfoy raised an eyebrow again and reached his long, elegant fingers to grasp Harry roughly by the chin, causing her to wince when he narrowed his eyes and forced her to meet his eyes.

As his penetrating silver eyes bore sharply into her wide green orbs, Harry found herself unable to blink and completely frozen in place. They stared each other down for the longest moment, each pair of flashing orbs challenging the other's into submission with their intensity. When neither of them seemed to be backing away, Malfoy was broken out of his reverie at the sound of Krum's voice.

"Oy Draco! Quit playing with the chit already, we're going to be late!" He complained loudly, sharing an irritated look with Nott beside him. Zabini, however, was observing Malfoy very closely.

The minute he heard Krum's voice, Malfoy immediately broke the stare down with Harry and pushed her roughly away as he stood up, his foot never leaving its place on her notebook. Then, to her utter dismay, Malfoy sneered at her again and finally added the final insult when he glance down at his foot and began crushing the notebook down onto the floor like an extinguished cigarette.

Not being able to keep quiet at that, a gasp escaped Harriet's lips and she finally managed to yank it out from underneath his foot in panic. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw the horrible shoe prints on its neatly written pages and the distinct rips Malfoy had made with his little gesture.

"_YOU INSENSITIVE, DISGUSTING BASTARD—"_

Malfoy cut her off sharply by turning around and giving his friends a calm smirk.

"Hey…Do any of you have any disinfectant…?" He raised the hand he had used to touch Harriet's cheek in feigned disgust and held it away from himself as though it was contaminated.

When Harry sputtered again in indignation at his comment, Malfoy smirked wider and added it up with another drawling comment as he walked back over and rejoined the rest of his friends.

"Honestly…The trash they leave in the hallways these days…This school is going to the dogs."

At this point, Krum just looked irritated at his prolonging and pointed impatiently at his watch again while Nott just sighed in response, shaking his head at his friend in mock disapproval.

"I _really _need to teach you how to treat pretty girls properly, Draco…"

Looking mildly amused at Nott's comment, Malfoy just smirked back at him before he chuckled and finally made to follow the other two down the corridor. Zabini just sighed and followed after them, his eyes narrowing irritably as he turned and walked around Harry like she was a tree in his way.

Harry gritted her teeth at this, muttering darkly under her breath as she stood back up.

"_Arrogant prick…Just like the other three."_

For a minute, she was afraid Zabini heard her and froze, turning back around to look at him.

Zabini stopped at the corner of the hallway, his shoulders tensing at her words.

_Bugger…He heard me! _

Harry's eyes widened and she almost ran for it again when to her utter confusion, Zabini just seemed to tilt his head to the side as though in thought before shoving his hands into his pockets.

Then, without a single word, he left, leaving Harriet staring in confusion at his retreating back.

* * *

The rest of Harry's day went by pretty much as horribly grueling as her morning had been.

All throughout her Advanced Potions class with Professor Snape that afternoon, Harry had somehow managed to blow up her potion at least _THRICE _before she suspected that all her seatmates had been adding random ingredients into her cauldron every time she turned around or looked away.

It didn't end after that, unfortunately.

Just a couple of hours after that incident – during her Flying class – Harry's broom had somehow managed to go completely _berserk _on her. She spent a good deal of the class screaming as the broom led her in wild loops and spirals all over the SSPAM Quidditch pitch. Of course, that didn't even count the tampered bludgers that had been trying to knock her off her broom the whole time.

At the end of it all, Harry had managed to crash herself into a large, enchanted tree – which despite its limited height – she learned had a _very _disagreeable temperament. Within seconds of her feet touching the ground, one of the tree's branches had smacked her right in the midsection and she must have careened backwards _AT LEAST _six feet, falling down very painfully onto the muddy grass.

Naturally, as all this had happened, the entire class of 1-A – as well as her flying instructor, Marcus Flint - had stood by and watched in hysterics, throwing in taunts every now and then about her being a petty 'half-breed' who should 'surrender to the S-4 and leave the school completely.'

Harry hadn't said a single word to them – nor did she let any of them know she was in pain.

Now, without her wand, she had spent the rest of the afternoon after that class with mud stains all over her SSPAM uniform and twigs, dirt and Merlin knows what else stuck in her hair. Her socks and shoes were still drenched from being doused with that cold water that morning and Harry was absolutely _certain _that she was going to get a cold from all of her shivering but _still _she persisted and attended all her classes with her chin held high, ignoring the disgusted looks thrown her way.

_No one can make you feel inferior but yourself, Harry! Don't listen to them!_ She kept telling herself over and over in her head, her voice weakening with each hour that passed that afternoon.

It was only when the day had finally ended that Harry let her exhaustion show as she sighed and collapsed onto a small, wooden bench near her locker, burying her face into her hands. She knew she must have looked quite pathetic sitting there with mud stains all over her clothes and her hair a tangled mess but she didn't care at this point, just grateful to have even made it through somehow.

The S-4 definitely controlled the school, she definitely knew that now.

But that didn't mean she was going to surrender to their little war

_I just hope I have the strength to keep this up tomorrow._ She realized tiredly to herself.

The dark mark still glowed brightly her arm so she knew the S-4's anger with her was _far _from over but for now, Harry was just thankful that she would get to go home and leave this hell hole. She wanted to do nothing more now than to go home, take a shower, curl up in her bed, and _SLEEP._

She was just on the verge of contemplating skipping out on her class for that afternoon to go home and rest up for tomorrow's battle when a soft, familiar gasp startled her out of her thoughts.

Blinking in surprise, Harry managed to lock eyes with Pansy's several feet away just as the older girl was headed towards her locker beside Harry's, hugging her books meekly to her chest.

When Pansy did nothing but stare at her with wide, fearful blue eyes for a long time, Harry finally offered her a small, warm smile, her green eyes giving the other girl a reassuring look. That smile faded, however, and the look in Harry's eyes transformed into hurt confusion when Pansy's only reaction was to pale at the mere sight of her and flick her eyes to the Dark Mark on Harry's arm.

Without so much as a greeting, the trembling girl suddenly turned on her kneel and sped off towards her locker in silence, leaving Harriet staring after her form in hurt, humiliation, and shame. Her eyes were burning as she tore her gaze away from Pansy's form and dropped her eyes to the floor, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid for having gotten herself into this horrible mess in the first place.

Unfortunately, the person who had chosen that exact same moment to walk up in front of her seemed to have witnessed the scene as well and voiced the humiliation Harry was trying to hide.

"Sad isn't it, Potter…?"

Tensing and clenching her hands, Harry gritted her teeth and looked up, glaring once again into the handsome, sneering face of Draco Malfoy. The blonde was standing several feet away from her and was leaning casually against some of the lockers, his eyebrow raised at her in amusement.

Refusing to say anything, Harry chose to ignore him but apparently, he wasn't finished.

"Reality of life, really…Well, typical of commoners, anyway. You dare to go against me for this _petty friendship_ of yours and where does that bravery take you…? Alone and with the Dark Mark…And yet, your beloved _friend_ doesn't even acknowledge you. She's too afraid to help you in return…"

Malfoy paused in the middle of his drawl but Harry was already shaking with so much anger that she was seeing red as she continued to glare at him, seething when she saw his taunting expression. He ignored her reaction, and continued, his lazy gaze focused intently on her face.

"Sad facts of life, Potter…Consider it a lesson I am graciously imparting on you…People…are _fickle, despicable, festering little creatures_ who only think about themselves…Learn it well, half-breed." Malfoy's soft words resonated in Harry's ears, drowning out the voice of reason in her head.

She heard him chuckling after he had said all this but she positively _refused _to look back at him. She focused on keeping her blazing green eyes on her shoes as she willed herself not to explode.

Had she bothered to look up, she would have somehow managed to catch a quick glimpse of the sudden look of heartbroken guilt Pansy had sent towards her. Unfortunately, Harry was too caught up in her anger at Malfoy to notice anything else now except the sound of his loud, harsh laughter.

She knew he was still watching her and she _knew _that so was everyone else in the hallway.

Letting out a shaky breath, she opened her eyes and looked up slowly into Malfoy's face.

In the presence of the entire school population, Harry was infuriated with herself when _ONCE AGAIN _she could do nothing but glare at his mocking sneer with a _HATE _she never knew she could feel.

She knew a couple of things for certain now – she _HATED _this school.

She _HATED _the S-4.

And she especially, _MOST ESPECIALLY _hated…absolutely _LOATHED…_Draco Malfoy.

_ARRRRRRGH!_

As soon as Malfoy had smirked at her and had walked away while chuckling to himself again, Harry took that opportunity to shove past the crowd and storm the hallway, the soles of her shoes thudding noisily against the floors as she ran all the way up to one of the highest towers in the castle.

Bursting through the stairway entrance, Harry suddenly forgot how tired she was and bounded up the stairs, her heart pounding heavily in her chest when she finally reached her destination. As soon as she got there – the highest and most secluded tower of SSPAM castle – Harriet collapsed against the railing, took a deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth. Without so much as a thought, she clenched her eyes shut and began shouting out everything that came into her head.

"_STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, INSENSITIVE, ARROGANT BASTARDS! ASSHOLES! NO GOOD, DIRTY-DEALING, TWO-FACED SCUMBAGS, THE LOT OF YOU! THE S-4 SUCK! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU ALL SUCK! THAT'S RIGHT! I DON'T CARE IF YOU HEAR ME OR GIVE ME ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR STUPID LITTLE DARK MARKS! I DON'T CARE! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT VILE, DISGUSTING VERMIN!"_

Harry opened her eyes, took in another shuddering intake of air and began screaming again.

"_ESPECIALLY __**YOU, **__MALFOY! YOU'RE THE LOWEST OF ALL SCUM! IN FACT, YOU'RE EVEN LOWER THAN THAT, YOU'RE THE DISGUSTING WORM INFESTING THE DIRT ON THE GROUND! OR THE BACTERIA __**INFESTING **__THE WORM THAT INFESTS THE DIRT ON THE GROUND! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A SORRY, PATHETIC, DISGUSTING, ARROGANT PIG! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!" _

Somewhere around the end of her screaming tirade, Harry had begun stomping repeatedly onto the ground with each enunciation of _'I HATE YOU!', _finally ending the long overdue explosion with a deep, heavy exhale of air. Keeping her eyes closed and breathing heavily as she tried to regain control over her anger, Harry felt a calming sense of relief and sighed, taking another deep breath.

_That's it, Harry…Keep it together. _She told herself carefully in her head, swallowing several times to try and dull the pain that she felt in her throat at having screamed so much in her life.

After a long moment of peaceful silence – both around her _and _in her thoughts – a soft, mildly amused voice suddenly broke right through her daze, forcing Harry's eyes to snap open in shock.

"Are you… _finished_…?"

To her utter dismay, she saw _Blaise Zabini_ staring right back at her from several feet away, one of his hands holding a small book while the other was twirling around a wand between his fingers.

Harry stared at him, paling when she realized that he must have heard everything she said.

"I—I…That is…I was…I wasn't…I was just—"

When she noticed that one corner of his lips seemed to be upturned slightly into a semblance of a smirk, Harry began to blush darkly – whether it was from embarrassment or his presence, she wasn't certain. She stammered for a couple more times after that, feeling like a complete idiot as she stood there in front of him and watched as Zabini just raised a single eyebrow at her in cold query.

Seeing his obvious ire, Harry cringed again and struggled to speak up despite her nervousness.

"I—I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know that anyone else was in here..And—"

Zabini raised his eyebrow even higher, the expression on his face clearly not amused.

Without waiting for her to finish what she was trying to say, he let out a sharp breath and walked over to the end of the tower, leaning back against the side wall and raising his book to his face. He was silent for a couple of seconds before he spoke, stunning Harriet silent with his soft voice.

"This is _MY _tower…You'd do well to find some place else to vent your problems…Potter."

Harry reddened even more at his use of her name…and the fact that he knew who she was.

"I—I'm sorry…I d—didn't mean to intrude…I was just s—so…angry and sometimes, w—well…I just n—need to let it all out o—otherwise I'll explode—" Harry realized she was ranting when Zabini suddenly looked up from his book and leveled her with cold, flashing blue eyes filled with annoyance.

Rudely cutting her off, Zabini straightened from where he was leaning against the wall and adjusted his jacket, shoving his book into its pockets. Then, ignoring the way Harry was shifting uncomfortably at his reaction, he began to walk to the exit of the tower leading back to the school.

"How you feel and what you do with _your _life is _your _business." He paused just as he was reaching for the handle of the door and froze, turning back to glance at her briefly over his shoulder.

"Your life is no concern of mine."

The minute his words had sunk in, the embarrassed blush on Harry's face quickly turned to one of anger. Knowing she had no say in the matter, she just glared angrily at him. As Zabini finally began to walk away, her green eyes narrowed slightly and she voiced her thoughts out loud again.

_ "And here I thought he would really be different somehow…Ugh…Arrogant jerk."_

For the second time that day, in front of Zabini, Harriet realized about a second too late that she had grumbled her thoughts out instead of keeping them to herself. Biting her lip and swearing to Merlin that she was going to cut off her tongue when she got home, she was just about ready to take off when the next words out of Zabini's mouth stunned her into blank, confounded silence.

"_Perhaps."_

Harry stilled from where she was leaning against the tower's railings and looked up, her eyes widening slowly when Zabini turned around and met her gaze with his silent, blue orbs.

He stared curiously at her face, his eyes lingering over the tufts of twigs and leaves in her hair and the grime stains all over her blouse. Raising an eyebrow, his hand dropped from its grip on the door and he turned around again, reaching for something in the pocket of his tailored black pants.

"_But then again…Unlike them—"_

Zabini pulled out something familiar from his pocket and Harry's eyes widened in recognition when she caught sight of it, wondering to herself how on Earth he could have gotten her wand. He saw the question in her eyes but didn't answer it, merely holding the wand out to her in deep silence.

With shaking fingers, Harry took it wordlessly, keeping her eyes on his face the whole time.

He pulled his offered hand back and shoved it into his pocket before speaking.

"_I know you're stronger than you look."_

The permanent blush on her cheeks must have almost been as red as a tomato at this point but she couldn't bring herself to do anything except stare at him, her face frozen into a blank daze.

Zabini tore his eyes away from her, turning around sharply again and reaching for the door. He didn't bother looking at her when he spoke up again, his soft voice resonating with cold warning.

"I don't want to see you on this tower again."

* * *

Harriet was still in a half-dreamy, half-blank daze as she headed home that afternoon.

_I know you're stronger than you look._

She heard the words reverberating repeatedly in her head but still, she couldn't get enough of them – nor could she forget the way Zabini had looked at her with his intense, penetrating stare.

_I don't want to see you on this tower again._

Harry suddenly winced to herself when she recalled the coldness with which Zabini had spoken and the memory of it was enough to jolt her back to reality. Sighing, she mentally berated herself for having gone up to that tower in the first place but shook her head, feeling her happy giddiness return.

_Still…At least I got to talk to him and hear his voice…He sounds…lonely._

She thought back to the tugging of his lips into what was almost _amusement _when he heard her cursing Malfoy's name into oblivion and blushed, unaware of the sudden bounce in her footsteps.

_Like…He hasn't laughed or smiled in a long time…I wonder…If my first impression of him was right after all._ At the thought, Harry was unable to prevent a genuine smile from lighting up her face.

It was the first – and perhaps only time – she had smiled that day.

_I wonder…If he really IS different from the other three._

That one last thought lingering in her mind, Harry's mood brightened somewhat and after using her wand to clean herself, she practically skipped through the school exit with a small smile.

As she left, humming to herself, she never noticed the mercury orbs that burned into her back as she raced out the school – nor did she realize the angry flashing within their cold depths.

* * *

**A/N: **Oooooh…I wonder who that could be. *rolls eyes* Damn it, I am on a ROLL here! Haha. I just can't stop writing this damn story, my muse has been haunting my head for the past few days! T_T

Oh well… I suppose that's good luck to everyone else…Though bad luck for my sleep-deprived brain. Hahaha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! And before any of you say anything, yes I know. Draco is such an effing !&)*#&!#! But yes, that is how the plotline of HYD is supposed to go. :D

Don't worry, I promise that Harry will set him in his proper place soon. In fact, _VERY SOON. _*giggle*

**PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE! CHEERS, LOVE, AND ALL THAT! :D**


	4. Too Many Questions

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** Alright, originally I was going to update Phoenix Tears but then, I realized this chapter would take me less time to update so I did this instead. I will be updating Phoenix Tears next. :D I call this chapter the one where Draco gets to have his Voldemort moment…Wahaha! You'll see why! ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Too Many Questions**

Draco Lucius Malfoy was definitely _not _happy.

In fact, he was altogether _fuming _with rage as he raised his wand, pointed it at the two large cowering boys in front of him and gave it a single flick. Within seconds, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle found themselves magically shoved backwards with a splash into the pool right behind them.

The three boys were located in the East Wing basement of Malfoy Manor that night and the larger two were cowering in front of the S-4 leader, their pathetic pleas making Draco's eye twitch. Shoving his wand back into his robes, he ignored magic altogether and placed his hand atop Goyle's head, forcing the other boy under the water for a good deal of seconds before letting him back up.

"_YOU FESTERING, BUMBLING IDIOTS!"_

"P—please Malfoy! We promise we'll try harder—"

He did the same to Crabbe and dunked the other boy's head into the pool water again, sneering sadistically to himself when Crabbe's protests ended up choked underwater. Once his initial anger had been sated, he finally stopped and allowed both boys to breathe normally as he stood back up and walked over to the large, high-backed chair in the center of the room. After he sat down, he snapped his fingers impatiently and Crabbe and Goyle instantly kneeled before him, soaked and all.

Draco allowed a couple more seconds of them groveling to pass before he spoke again, casting the two kneeling boys in front of him with a derogatory sneer. Arching an elegant eyebrow, he twirled his wand casually between his fingers in warning and finally hissed out in a cool, snake-like voice.

"You two have _failed _me…" He smirked as though in derision and abruptly stopped twirling his wand so he could point it dangerously at Goyle's face. "I realize the difficulty a _puny little eighteen-year-old girl _may cause but there are absolutely _NO _excuses!" He snapped and with one flick again, he shot Goyle one particularly nasty hex that forced the other boy to keel violently back against the floor.

Looking thoroughly amused at this, Draco kept his eyebrow raised and turned his lazy glare to Crabbe instead, causing the other boy to flinch in anticipation. Swallowing audibly, he stammered.

"P—Potter turned out to be much tougher than we thought, Malfoy…None of the stuff we had set the other students up to do seemed to phase her!" He protested weakly but he wasn't able to say much else when Draco chose that exact moment to sneer and slam a hard fist right to his jaw.

"_YOU MORONS! SHE'S A WEEPY, WIMPY, LITTLE GIRL! ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU CAN'T HANDLE HER?" _He raged out, causing both boys to wince again. Visibly breaking out into a cold sweat, Crabbe and Goyle both took several steps backwards as Draco leaned back against his chair again.

For several seconds, it looked as though the Malfoy Heir was trying to regain control over himself. He twirled his wand repeatedly between his fingers and gritted his teeth, his gray eyes hard as they filled with thought. After a moment's pause, he finally glanced back up and smirked at them.

"Your jobs are relatively simple…I order you who to take out…And you do _whatever _it is you have to for that person to fall…The rules haven't changed…Why did you fail me?" He asked in a soft, eerie voice that was so eerily calm that Crabbe and Goyle almost wished that he was shouting again.

Still shaking from where he was kneeling on the floor, Goyle spoke first and he edged towards Draco's feet, his voice sounding slightly high-pitched as he spoke. "I—it wasn't our fault, Malfoy! W—we…It was the first time you ever gave the Dark Mark to a _girl; _we didn't know how to proceed from there! I—I mean…We didn't know if the school had rules about beating up women and we couldn't—"

Draco lost his patience at this point and kicked his leather shoes at Goyle again, winding the other boy and causing him to stumble backwards a few steps. Grunting away, he clutched at his stomach in pain as Draco rounded on him and bent down, clutching at a fistful of his drenched robes.

When Crabbe looked as though he was going to try and run away, Draco grabbed at him too and slammed both boys' heads together so that he could glare at both their pale, terrified faces.

"I don't care _WHAT _you do…" Draco began in a low hiss, his voice causing them to wince again but he continued before either of them got a chance to protest. "The rules have changed now…What I want…Is for you to do whatever it _takes _to wipe that pretty little smile off Harriet Potter's face…" He sneered sadistically at the thought and shoved them away, wiping his hands off his black pants.

Blinking in confusion, Crabbe and Goyle uncertainly at each other in speechless silence.

Draco, however, leaned back casually against the backrest of his chair and smirked calmly again, the anger in his eyes fading away and slowly being replaced by a twinge of amusement.

He ignored the questioning looks the two large boys sent his way and eyed his wand in his fingers again, chuckling sadistically to himself as he twirled the glossy piece of wood within his fingers.

"I want to make that pathetic little half-breed _CRY."_

With that, Draco lazily snapped his fingers and at once, Crabbe and Goyle's confused forms were whisked away by the Malfoy Manor bodyguards, leaving the blonde Heir to his brooding thoughts. As soon as they were gone, he began drumming his fingers impatiently on his chair armrest again.

"Damn that stupid half-breed…"

A scowl lingering on his face, Draco's eyes flashed and he glared angrily at the large, luxurious pool in front of him in silence, his thoughts going back to the smile he'd seen on Potter's beautiful face.

_ "Why the hell does she piss me off so much?"_

_

* * *

_

Harriet smiled to herself and let out a soft sigh as she collapsed onto her bed that night, blinking dreamy green eyes up at her ceiling as Zabini's soft voice echoed repeatedly in her mind.

_I know you're stronger than you look._

She blinked sleepily and turned over to her side, reaching for a nearby pillow and snuggling herself comfortably into it. Still smiling, she thought back on how Zabini had looked amused at her cursing of Malfoy's name while she had been in the tower that afternoon. Then, thinking on how he had also callously cast her aside right after their encounter made her scowl and blink in mild confusion.

_I don't understand him! Is he really all that different or was he playing with me the whole time…? Just like Malfoy was…? Could he? _After thinking along those lines for a few moments, her scowl darkened and she clenched her hands into fists. _Hmph…I hate the S-4 and their stupid games…School shouldn't even have to be this difficult… I can't believe I'm going back to that hellhole tomorrow!_

Harry's eyes dimmed slightly at the thought of going back to SSPAM and she sighed again, snuggling deeper into the pillows just before closing her eyes. After a moment, the frown remained on her face and she opened them again, glaring angrily at her white ceiling as though it were to blame.

_ Maybe I can request for a transfer somehow back to MUGG? Tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that things aren't working out for me in SSPAM and that I want to go to MUGG instead?_ The minute the thought had crossed her mind however, Harry shook it away, her hand clutching at her silver locket.

_No…I couldn't do that to my Dad…He wanted me to attend SSPAM so badly…I can't disappoint him now…_Sighing, Harry brought her locket up to her eyes and opened it carefully. A small, sad smile lit up her face at the sight of the magical picture inside that greeted her – that of her father and mother's wedding many years ago immortalized in a small but very detailed picture in her locket.

As always, her father looked absolutely handsome in his tailored tuxedo that day and her mother, then MUGG graduate Lily Evans, was absolutely glowing in her white wedding dress. Both looked so happy and content with one another that the sight of the picture always brought tears to Harry's eyes, especially when each time she looked at it, her parents would smile and wave at her.

_Dad…Mum…I wish you were both here right now…I miss you both so much…_Harry desperately tried to blink away the forming tears in her eyes as she closed her locket again and let it fall back along its chain to her chest. Then, closing her eyes, she leaned back against the bed and trailed her eyes sleepily up at the ceiling once more, her thoughts already lingering on the next day ahead.

_I can do this…I promised you I'd graduate top of SSPAM, Dad…I intend to keep that promise…Even if I have to fight back a whole horde of those stupid idiots to do so._ This was the last thought that lingered in Harry's mind before she fell asleep that night, her thoughts drifting to a pair of intense, smoky blue eyes and how they had lingered intently on her even in her dreams.

* * *

Those same thoughts and questions floated around in Harry's mind the following day.

She was practically humming as she got ready for school that morning that Mrs. Weasley had teased her about why she was in such a good mood. Of course, Harry had evaded this with a nervous laugh and grabbed her lunch from the older woman, taking off before she could ask anything else.

Other than Hermione, she hadn't told anyone about her encounter with Zabini in the tower that day, nor did she ever think she would tell anyone else since it was probably the first and last time she would ever get a chance to talk to the handsome 2nd year again. Sighing sadly, Harry accepted this with a calm finality and finally shook her head, giving herself a mental shake in admonishment.

_Stop daydreaming about him…He's a member of the S-4! You're still their target, Harry!_

As she walked through the deserted hallways of SSPAM that morning – her muscles tense and ready for any fight they sent her way – she suddenly frowned in confusion as she reached her locker.

_Speaking of which…That's…Strange._

Still frowning and fusing her eyebrows together, she almost made the mistake of opening her locker right away before she froze; cautiously narrowing her eyes as she eased open the door. She made sure that she was a good distance away from her locker before she finally opened it and peeked inside, her eyes growing even wider when she realized there was nothing out of the ordinary in there.

_Wow…No snakes or spiders or whatnot today huh?_

Scratching her head and raising an eyebrow, Harry hesitantly began to prepare her things.

_Usually, I'd have expected there to be pranks already by now…Am I off the hook already?_

She blinked and hastily flicked her gaze over to the Dark Mark on her arm, her eyebrows fusing together in confusion once again when she saw that it was still there – dark and detailed as ever. Frowning, she gathered the last of her things and closed her locker, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She was just about ready to head off to her first class that morning when two large, skulking shadows suddenly descended on her from behind, causing her to stiffen before turning around.

"Well, well, well…Look what we have here…"

At the sound of their voices, her eyes narrowed at Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle – the two boys she remembered picking on Pansy before – and she glared, taking a cautious step backward.

"You two…Crabbe…Goyle…Wh—what do you want?" Harry clenched her fists at the way she sounded so nervous in front of them and cursed to herself when she saw the gleam in their eyes.

Sharing a brief smirk with each other as though they were in on the same private joke, both boys sniggered before looking up and meeting her glare with two eerily calm, identical smirks.

The smaller one of the two, Gregory Goyle, reached a large hand out towards Harriet first and grabbed her roughly by her wrist, yanking her sharply towards him with a wide, all-knowing grin.

"Morning, Potter…Looking lovely today. How about Vince and I escort you to your first class?"

He offered with a snigger but Harry grunted and yanked her wrist away from him in disgust, glaring at them as though they were infested with lice. Still glaring, she turned and made to leave.

"Ugh…No thank you—"

Unfortunately, she was thwarted when Crabbe stepped in front of her and deliberately blocked her path, causing her to stiffen instantly. Feeling a little nervous now, she growled at them in warning.

"I don't need escorts to get to class and I _especially _don't need help from the likes of two brainless idiots like _you…_Now would you mind getting out of my way so I can get to class in peace?" She would have managed to shove them away from her had Crabbe not grinned and reached out to grab her other wrist instead, sniggering loudly as he held her frozen and struggling nervously in place.

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET GO OF ME! LET GO, DON'T TOUCH ME!"_

Ignoring the look of dismay that was beginning to flood her eyes, Crabbe met Goyle's gaze for a minute before both boys nodded to each other as though in affirmation. Then, to Harry's absolute horror, both boys grabbed at her wrists again and yanked her towards them, immediately causing her to let out a screech of protest when they hoisted her up and carried her towards an empty classroom.

_"LET ME DOWN! LET ME GO, DAMMIT! YOU'RE DISGUSTING! HELP! SOMEONE! HELP ME!"_

Harry heard the panic growing in her voice but that didn't stop her from struggling violently against them, yanking, scratching and clawing at practically anything she could reach from where she was suspended like a sack of potatoes along Crabbe's shoulders. Gasping and paling with fear when they entered the deserted classroom and spelled the doors shut, Harriet slid away from them and tried to run off in the opposite direction, only for Goyle to snarl at her and grab her by her wrists again.

_"KEEP STILL, POTTER! STOP RUNNING—"_

Harry took her bag and swung it right at his face, causing him to stop talking abruptly and glare at her just as she had managed to twist away from him again. She screamed for help again and she might have made it towards the door this time had Crabbe not sneered and blocked her path easily with his large frame, his wand outstretched as he laughed and pointed it warningly at her throat.

"Not another sound, Potter…Or I'll break your pretty little neck…You know I can!"

She growled and tried to fight back by raising a fist to punch him but by this time, Goyle had already recovered and had now walked up behind her, grabbing her angrily by her long, black hair. Harry winced in pain at this and stumbled backwards a few steps, her green eyes widening in panic.

"_S—STOP IT! I'M WARNING YOU, I'LL REPORT YOU BOTH FOR HARRASSMENT! I—"_

Harry stopped when both boys just ended up laughing at her threat and sneered at her, the former of which now twisting her around and using a large, brusque hand to touch her pale cheek.

"Now, now, Potter…There's no need to shout…It's not like anyone can hear you now, anyway…Most of the students are already in class…There's really no one to save you right now." Goyle drawled, his eyes flashing when Harry recoiled at his touch and moved her face way from his fingers.

Without thinking and not even sure as to _why _she did it, Harry took one hard look at the larger student in disgust before she sneered and spat right at his face, causing him to pause in outright shock. Seeing the disbelief on his friend's face, Crabbe couldn't help laughing at his expression and turned to smirk at Harriet again, his beady eyes trailing down to eye her long legs under her skirt.

"She's a feisty one isn't she, mate…? Oh I think I will _thoroughly _enjoy this…" Crabbe didn't bother explaining further and neither did Goyle as he shoved her towards the other boy in annoyance.

Smirking, Crabbe grabbed at Harry's wrist again and shoved her down onto the floor, immediately causing the younger student to scream when he used a binding charm on her to hold her in place before kneeling down beside her and beginning to yank at her clothes. Looming over them, Goyle watched them for several moments before flicking his eyes every now and then to the entrance.

"Take her clothes off already! Before someone sees us! Stupid bitch draws too much attention!" He hissed but his voice was drowned out by Harry's loud protests and sharp screams.

"_WH—WHAT ARE YOU GOING? N—NO! STOP IT, YOU BASTARDS! LET ME GO! PLEASE!"_

Harry realized a second too late that the last word she had screamed proved that she was short of begging them to stop but she couldn't help it and as she heard a distinct rip that indicated Crabbe almost had her blouse completely off, tears of genuine fear began to flood her wide green eyes.

"_N—no…PLEASE! S—STOP! LET ME GO! GET AWAY FROM ME—"_

"Argh! Damn it! Shut her up, Crabbe!" Goyle growled out, placing his hands over his ears.

"With pleasure." Crabbe sneered as he raised his wand again and pointed it at Harriet's throat, silencing the rest of her screams as he straddled her to the floor and held her down onto her back.

The binding spell he had originally cast on her seemed to be wearing off a little as Harry's struggles got more panicked and violent at this position but Crabbe grunted and recast it again, sighing in relief when the girl's movements finally ceased altogether. Now, with wide, tearful green eyes, she could do nothing else but stare pleadingly up at them in fear as Crabbe met Goyle's eyes again and grinned widely before leering back down at her and beginning to yank at her blouse again.

"Aw, don't be such a prude, Potter…We only want a look…Or perhaps…A little more…" He sniggered at his sick joke and sneered when he saw the way Harry's eyes flashed in indignant anger.

As his large, stubby fingers worked impatiently at the remaining buttons on her school blouse, Crabbe paused and looked up to meet Goyle's eyes, beckoning the other boy over to peer with him.

"Goyle, Check her out…For a half-breed, she's pretty hot…Let me just get this last button—"

Feeling another button loosen from her ripped blouse, Harry suddenly lost her firm resolve.

Closing her eyes, she finally allowed the tears to fall and turned away from the sight of Crabbe and Goyle leering down at her so she could stare at the ceiling instead, resigning herself to her fate.

_Th—this…C—can't be happening to me…I—I feel so h—helpless…Please…Help me…Anyone…_

"Let her go."

At the sound of the cold, familiar voice, both Crabbe and Goyle froze immediately.

"…_Zabini_?"

Snapping her eyes open in shock and rapidly blinking away the pools of tears that had gathered in her eyes, Harriet blinked once before slowly raising her gaze back up towards the direction of the voice that had spoken. Soon, she found herself staring silently with heartbroken, trembling relief all over her crying features, at the blank, cold glare of Blaise Zabini standing not too far away.

He didn't say anything else after that for several seconds so Crabbe and Goyle continued to gape stupidly at him, obviously caught unaware of the S-4 member's earlier presence in what they had thought was a thoroughly deserted classroom. From the looks of things, it looked as though Zabini had been there for quite some time and was holding a book in his hand, his wand in the other.

Crabbe found his voice first and tried to speak up, keeping Harry pinned to the floor.

"Z—Zabini, w—we didn't realize you were in here! W—we're so sorry, we—"

Letting out an impatient exhale of breath and raising one of his hands to unwittingly scruff up the back of his hair, Zabini shook his head in disgust at the sight of Crabbe still straddling Harriet to the floor and twirled his wand once between his fingers in warning. He ignored the way Crabbe was struggling for something to say and spoke again, this time in a much louder and even colder voice.

"I _SAID…_Let her go."

Paling at the anger and warning hiss in his voice, Goyle stammered for a couple of seconds while Crabbe bolted up from Harry as though she was on fire, his expression cowering in nervousness.

"B—but…Zabini…M—Malfoy said—"

Zabini sighed harshly at the mention of the S-4 leader's name and lazily raised a single hand up to silence them, shaking his head before looking up and giving both large boy a warning glare.

"It's alright. Forget about what Draco said."

"B—but we'll get into trouble—"

"I _SAID _it's fine…Leave now…And there won't _BE _trouble." Zabini threatened back harshly, the sneer evident in his voice despite the blankness that was always lingering on his handsome face.

Still bound and silenced on the floor, Harry tried to watch him despite the tears of relief flooding her eyes. She was so caught up in her emotions that she almost failed to realize that both Crabbe and Goyle had scrambled out of the room, slamming the doors behind them noisily in panic.

Once the two large boys had gone and Zabini was left to stare intently at her bound form on the floor, he took one blank look at her partially ripped open blouse. For a second, Harry was almost afraid he was going to start on what Crabbe had left off but she was thoroughly surprised when Zabini just raised his wand and pointed it wordlessly at her, magically sealing her school blouse right back up.

Then, after waving his wand over her again to remove the binding and silence curses Crabbe had put on her, he stood back and watched with a cold, unreadable glare as Harry struggled to pick herself together in front of him despite the tears that were still shining on her cheeks. Swallowing the dryness in her throat, she hastily adjusted her blouse and skirt again before slowly raising her green eyes up and looking at him, unwittingly allowing the Italian Heir to see the brokenness in their depths.

Malfoy had finally gotten to her this time…And she was almost afraid to admit that to herself.

As more and more tears of fear, exhaustion and just pure relief at Zabini having been there in time began to flood her eyes again; she finally glanced at him and managed a weak, cracking whisper.

"_Th—thank you…"_ Her voice shook with sobs as she said this and she bit her lip to try and control them, closing her eyes again and furiously wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

When Zabini still refused to say anything and merely stood in front of her, watching her trying to talk, Harry swallowed painfully and tried to speak again, opening her eyes and looking up at him.

"_Th—thank you—" _She took a shaky breath when another sob broke her voice. "—I—I don't know what w—would have happened i—if you hadn't…Hadn't been…If you w—weren't…_Here—"_

"I didn't save you, Potter."

Zabini cut her off abruptly with a harsh sigh and he continued to show no lingering amount of emotions on his face as he grabbed his coat from one of the nearby chairs and shoved his book inside. Then, ignoring her soft, barely-muffled sobs, he shrugged himself into the coat with elegant ease, placed his hat back onto his head and only then did he turn back and stare at her form once more.

Harry was still crumpled up on the floor and was holding her magically fixed blouse tightly as though she was still trying to cover herself. Her knees and legs were curled up beneath her under her skirt and were slightly scratched from all her struggling awhile ago but she didn't even seem to notice.

She was biting her lip in an obvious effort to keep herself from crying too loudly but the tears continued to pour down her cheeks so much that Zabini finally spoke, his soft voice ringing in her ears.

"The house-elves…were cleaning my tower this morning…" He stopped and lifted his gaze from her scratched knees to her face, meeting her wide eyes as she looked up at him in innocent confusion.

Shrugging one shoulder, the corner of his lips lifted and he offered her a sardonic smirk.

"If they hadn't…I probably would never have been in this classroom." He stopped and stared quietly at her again, watching as Harry's expression softened and she nodded quietly in understanding.

"Thank you—"

"Don't get me wrong, Potter." His voice had turned cold again as he stepped away from her and began to head towards the door, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the large, empty room.

Harry blinked and stared at him in confusion as he walked past her, noting that his smirk had disappeared now and his face was blank once more. He stopped just as he reached the doors to the classroom, not even bothering to look back at her huddled form as he spoke with finality in his voice.

"Like I said…I didn't save you…I just—" He paused and raised his wand to perform an unlocking charm on the door before he finally turned around and met her eyes for the briefest second.

"I hate stuff like this."

Harry held her breath and winced when Zabini finally turned back around and stalked out of the room, his soft, elegant strides echoing and fading continuously until she could no longer hear him.

And yet, even after the Italian Heir had gone, Harry still sat huddled on the floor of that empty classroom in hushed silence, more than determined to cry out all the tears that Malfoy had caused in her that afternoon so that the next time she saw him…_She could fight him back with all her strength._

_

* * *

_

_"YOU PATHETIC, NO-GOOD, STUPID MORONS! YOU MESSED UP AGAIN?"_

Once again, Draco was seething with rage as he came face to face with Crabbe and Goyle's cringing, cowering forms in front of him that night in the semi-deserted East Wing of Malfoy Manor.

Both boys looked as though they had swallowed a bucketful of flobberworms as they gulped and kneeled down at Draco's feet. Refusing to look at the S-4 leader for fear of the wrath in his hard eyes, Crabbe spoke up first and tried to reason himself out by giving Draco a helpless, pleading look.

"P—please! I—it really wasn't our fault this time! We t—tried to scare her! We really did—"

He was cut off when Goyle suddenly pitched in and threw himself onto the ground at Draco's feet beside him, bending down repeatedly in front of the S-4 leader in utter cowardly submission.

"Y—yeah, Crabbe even ripped her blouse this time just so we could scare her! A—and then—"

Draco immediately saw red at those words and his eyes suddenly blazed like liquid fire.

Snarling and baring his teeth at the other two boys like a common wolf, he surprised them when he snatched Crabbe up by the cuff of his robes and yanked him up, pointing his wand painfully against the other boy's throat. Wincing and looking up at the Malfoy Heir with wide, panicked eyes Crabbe began to tremble when Draco snarled again and pressed his wand harder against his neck.

_"WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU TO RIP OFF HER BLOUSE? WHAT ARE YOU, A PERVERT?"_

Again, Crabbe winced when he heard Draco's infuriated shouting ringing right through his ears and he whimpered pathetically in response, closing his eyes and waiting for the S-4 leader to punch his lights out. Unfortunately, Draco seemed to have something else in mind as he gave Crabbe a malicious sneer before narrowing his eyes and effortlessly hurling the larger boy towards the other end of the room. Witnessing this, Goyle cringed as he heard Crabbe's large body making a very painful sounding splash when it appeared as though Draco had tossed him into the 8-ft end of the pool.

Pausing for a moment to smirk lazily at the sight of Crabbe panicking as he fought to swim to the surface of the deep pool, Draco ignored his cries for help and turned his cold glare to Goyle instead. When the S-4 leader narrowed his eyes at him, Goyle bit his lip and tried to move away again but even before he got to move an inch away, Draco grabbed him by his robes and held him up.

"And _YOU! _You _HELPED _him? You disgusting son of a bit—"

Goyle shut his eyes and nervously covered his face with his hands.

"N—no, stop! Stop! We weren't successful anyway, Malfoy! We d—didn't do anything! Zabini got to us and told us to stop before we got her clothes off! A—and besides, we weren't planning on doing anything, we just wanted to scare her—" He stopped in the middle of his sentence and ended up cringing in pain instead when Draco suddenly dropped him back to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"_WHAT?"_

Blinking his mercury eyes rapidly at them in shock, Draco suddenly lost sight of his anger altogether and stared at Goyle on the floor in confusion. When Goyle met this confusion with his own and sputtered stupidly at him, Draco lost his patience and pointed his wand directly at Goyle's face.

"Repeat what you said, Goyle…Before I cut off your tongue."

Goyle's eyes widened slightly in fear for a moment. His worried gaze flicked over to where Crabbe was _still _pleading madly for help from where he seemed to be near _drowning _in the large pool.

"U—uhm…Malfoy…I—I think Crabbe is about to drown—"

_"I SAID REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID, GOYLE!"_

He instantly paled again and stammered out his response at Draco's angry explosion.

"Z—Zabini! H—he…He stopped us…Told us to let Potter go…So we hightailed it. Otherwise, we would have probably succeeded in scaring her off for good…We didn't know Zabini was in the room." As soon as the words had left Goyle's mouth, he watched, wide-eyed, as the anger in Draco's eyes slowly dissipated and began to be replaced by a strange mixture of irritation, confusion, and suspicion.

_"G—GOYLE! H—HELP ME, I'M GOING TO DROW-Blurgghh!"_

Draco continued to ignore Crabbe's desperate pleas but fortunately, his grip on Goyle loosened and the other boy was allowed to slide down, wincing as he ran over to help his friend immediately. As he panicked and shouted nervously for his friend to come back up to the surface, Draco's eyes glazed over and he slowly walked back over to his chair at the end of the room, sitting himself back down.

_Blaise…? What…What was HE doing helping Potter out…?_

As the question formed itself in his head, Draco's eyes narrowed and he fused his eyebrows together in growing irritation again, still completely unaware of the panicked splashing and screams Crabbe and Goyle were emitting from the other end of the room. Pretty soon, the Malfoy Heir had worked himself up right into a thoughtful muse that he heard nothing else but his own angry thoughts.

_"GOYLE, HELP ME! I—Blurgh—CAN'T—Blurgh—SWIM!"_

_ "I'M TRYING, YOU IDIOT! HERE, GRAB ONTO THIS ROPE!"_

_ "IDIOT! JUST—Blurgh—USE—Blurgh—MAGIC!"_

_ "I DON'T KNOW HOW!"_

_ "Blurgh—blurgh—blurgh—blurgh—"_

_ "CRABBE? CRABBE? CRABBE! SPEAK TO ME!"_

Draco's left eye twitched at the sound of the panicked cracking of Goyle's voice and he finally turned back around to glare at them, irritated when he saw the mess they had made around the room.

_"WILL YOU DUNDERHEADS KEEP IT DOWN? I'M TRYING TO THINK! AND CRABBE, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING SWIMMING IN MY POOL? YOU'LL DIRTY IT UP!"_

After raising his wand and using it to levitate a near-unconscious Crabbe out of the pool to deposit him beside a panicked Goyle by the edge, Draco scoffed and went back to his angry thoughts.

"_Ugh…Incompetent idiots!"_

_

* * *

_

Harry hesitated as she stepped onto the doorstops of the Burrow much later that same night, biting her lip as she checked her uniform again to make sure there were no more rips or tears anywhere. When she was sure she had gotten everything back in order so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't suspect anything had happened, she took a deep breath and finally pushed through the door.

At once, she was greeted with sight of the family – Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Charlie, Percy, an Mr. and Mrs. Weasley – all gathered at the dining table waiting for her. As soon as she entered the room, the scowl she had seen on Ron's face suddenly brightened and he gave her a mock angry glare.

"About time, Harry! Mum was being all prissy and all making us all wait for you before we started dinner and I was hungry! Come on over already so we can eat!" He complained but he didn't even wait for Harry to answer him before he began loading enormous amounts of food onto his plate.

In spite of herself and the exhaustion that was weighing down her entire body, Harry couldn't prevent a weak smile at this and sighed softly as she set her bag down and made her way over to her usual seat beside Ron. She deliberately refused to meet anyone's eyes for fear of them seeing her exhaustion and began loading food onto her plate as well, only to glumly pick at it moments later.

Fortunately, none of the Weasleys noticed anything and continued to eat their dinner in silence, their lively chatter passing right through Harry's ears. She was so caught up in her gloominess that she didn't notice that at one point, Mrs. Weasley had stopped eating and was now staring at Harry in concern. Her kind features were creased together in a frown when she saw Harry's untouched food.

When this continued for several more minutes of Harry still not saying anything, Mrs. Weasley finally spoke up and unwittingly drew the rest of the family's attention to Harry's weary expression.

"Harry…Darling…Is everything alright, dear? Did something bad happen at school today?"

Startled at having been addressed, Harry looked up and suddenly found herself the object of attention of many Weasley heads that turned her way. Flushing awkwardly at their looks of concern, Harry suddenly dropped her eyes to her plate again and shook her head, forcing out a weak laugh.

"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley…I'm fine, I'm just—" She looked up and met the older woman's concerned, motherly expression again, managing to give her a comforting smile. "—_tired, _I suppose…I'll be okay in the morning, I promise…" As though to prove her point, Harry met everyone's concerned looks with a small smile before she finally turned back to her food and forced herself to eat.

Mr. Weasley gave her a nod of understanding and gestured gently to her food again. "Well then, you'd best eat up, Harry. After that, get a good night's rest so you'll feel better in the morning." He offered with a cheerful smile and soon, everyone else resumed their meal and lively conversations.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley still didn't look convinced at this but before she could ask her again, Harry hastily began to stuff her mouth with as much food as possible to avoid having to talk.

Once she had finished her dinner, she immediately got up and – without waiting for Ron to finish up as she usually did – she retreated to her bedroom and closed the door. She knew the rest of the Weasleys were probably talking about her now and wondering why she was in such a worn-out mood but she didn't feel like talking to any of them so instead, she slumped back down onto her bed instead and stared up at the ceiling with tired eyes, the back of her hand resting on her forehead.

_I don't want to go to SSPAM…I don't want to go back…What do I do now, Dad…?_

As she mulled about the answer to that question, Harry fell into a deep, exhausted slumber.

* * *

Harry stayed that way for a long time after that and eventually, this was the exact same position Molly Weasley still found her in when she came into Harry's room much later that night. Smiling fondly when she saw the young girl was still in her SSPAM uniform and school shoes, Molly let out a soft sigh before she gently dressed her into a soft, warm pair of her favorite green pajamas.

Then, after bending over and gently tucking Harry more comfortably under her blankets and leaning down a little lower to drop a kiss onto the top of her head, Molly finally smiled again before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her. As she gathered Harry's uniform to be washed and cleaned again for the following day, she spoke to at Arthur as he passed her in the hallway.

"Honey…Do we have some extra money for lunch tomorrow?"

Arthur looked surprised at her sudden question but paused in thought for a minute before nodding and giving her an easy smile. "I think so dearest…Why? Do you need to buy something?"

At his response, Molly chuckled gratefully at him but shook her head and gave him a sad smile.

"No…But I was thinking of cooking Harry's favorite lunch tomorrow…" She paused as she set down Harriet's dirty SSPAM uniform in the cleaning basin by the sink and let out a soft, worried sigh.

"The poor dear, she looked so exhausted and worn out tonight that I figured her favorite lunch tomorrow should cheer her up. I reckon it's because she hasn't made all that many new friends yet at her new school…She must miss Ron and Hermione terribly…" She let her voice trail off but Arthur understood and he smiled at her, walking over and rewarding his wife with a gentle peck on the cheek.

"I think cooking her favorite lunch would cheer our Harry right up, Molly…You go ahead and do so. I'm sure Harry will appreciate you very much for it. You've always been a great mother to her."

Arthur smiled at her again and after giving her another kiss – this time on the forehead – he finally turned and began to walk back to the living room. Molly watched him go for a couple of seconds before she smiled softly and finally began to wash Harry's uniform while humming to soft, happy tune.

_Once she opens her lunch for tomorrow in school…Harry will cheer up for sure._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **To be quite honest, I didn't like the events of this chapter because I personally think Draco is being an outright A-hole but then again, like I said, I am just adapting this to HYD. :D

The next chapter will be much more exciting, I promise you all that… *giggle* But until then, you'll all just have to wait and see what happens! Don't you all worry! Like I said, Harry will fight back against Draco soon enough and you will see her strong side again soon…The S-4 need a good asskicking! Especially Draco! Who agrees with me? *evil smirk*

**AS ALWAYS, DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW! CHEERS, CHEERS, CHEERS ALL! :D**


	5. This is War, Malfoy!

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to post! This is one of the most important _turning points_ in the HYD series so hopefully, you guys like it too. Enjoy the chapter! :D

* * *

**Chapter 5 – This is War, Malfoy!**

"_HARRY, DEAR! HURRY UP, YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"_

Harry winced at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice echoing throughout the house and sighed, resignedly setting her hairbrush back down and staring sullenly at her weary expression in the mirror. She took one look at the dark circles under her tired green eyes and shook her head in dismay.

Ignoring the loud cheerful chatters and calls of Ron, Ginny and other Weasleys from all around the Burrow, Harry blinked at her reflection once and gave herself a somewhat sarcastic, bitter smile.

"Do your best, Harry."

Even her voice sounded hollow to her and she sighed again, shaking her head before she finally grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder, steadying her glasses on her face. Then, after one last glance at herself to make sure her uniform was in place, Harry took a deep breath before she stepped out and began walking down the staircase. Her footsteps were heavy and dragged as she stopped just behind Ron in the kitchen and waited for her turn for Mrs. Weasley to hand her lunch.

After Ron turned and had given her a grin of encouragement before bounding out the door, Harry brought her glum expression up and met Mrs. Weasley's warm smile. If the older woman noticed Harry's glumness at all, she didn't let it show. She handed Harry her lunch and leaned down to plant her usual kiss of goodbye onto her cheek, still smiling gently as Harry nodded and made to go.

As she was heading out, Mrs. Weasley spoke again and brought Harry's gaze back to her face.

"Oh Harriet…By the way…I forgot to ask you…That mark on your arm since last night—"

Harriet immediately stiffened as she turned around but Mrs. Weasley's smile never wavered as she walked up to Harry again, reaching out and carefully taking the younger girl's smaller hand.

"I tried countless spells to remove it last night, darling…I'm afraid it won't come off. Is it a tattoo of some sort that you put on yourself?" Mrs. Weasley smiled uncertainly. "I don't mean to pry, of course, but it's terribly dreadful, dear…Perhaps a cleaner, nicer looking tattoo would be better?"

Breathing heavily and trying her best to keep a plastered smile on her face, Harry hastily pulled her blouse sleeves over her arm to cover up the Dark Mark on her skin. She gave Mrs. Weasley a smile to dimiss the topic and forced out a weak laugh to cover up her nervousness at the question.

"O—oh…You caught me, Mrs. Weasley! I got bored in class one day and decided to try my luck out by putting this on myself. Isn't it cool, though? You know me…Quite the snake lover!" She managed another weak laugh and hastily turned away before Mrs. Weasley could ask anything else.

"Oh but Harry—"

"Anyway, I'd better get to school now! I have to drop a few things off at my locker…See you tonight, Mrs. Weasley!" Harry didn't wait for her answer as she spun on her heel and hurriedly sprinted out of the house, unknowingly leaving Mrs. Weasley staring after her in mild confusion.

Once she had gotten outside and was walking her usual path going to SSPAM, Harry finally let out the breath of air she had been holding since Mrs. Weasley had asked her about her arm and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew the older woman was just concerned about her and all but Harry just couldn't _bear _the thought of making Mrs. Weasley worry about her even more.

She already had so much to think about these days – raising the remaining five of her children and all – and Harry definitely did not need to add further to her stress by making her worry needlessly.

_Besides…_Harry thought to herself as she quickened her pace and took in a deep of fresh air. _I can handle myself against those jerks somehow…I won't let that stupid S-4 and their games bother me. _She scowled as she thought of this and tightened her fingers around the grip around her bag.

_I'll show them…I'm Harriet Potter. I'm not going down without a fight. _

_

* * *

_

"Will you be having lunch at the manor today, Master Draco? Or perhaps at school?"

A slightly high-pitched tone of voice suddenly spoke up, breaking the comforting silence of the large, luxurious wing that was practically the whole of Draco's bedroom. Blinking himself out of his thoughts and greatly annoyed at having been disturbed, Draco arched a single eyebrow and turned an irritated glare towards the voice that had spoken, his silver eyes resting on a small figure by the door.

Undaunted and quite used to the young Malfoy Heir's atrocious temper at this point, the ball-like eyes of Dobby, the Malfoys' Head House-Elf, blinked up at him and gave him a questioning look.

"Master Draco?"

Draco felt his ire flare up even further at that and he sneered spitefully at the elf, his eyes narrowing as he straightened and lazily stood up from where he was lounging by his four-poster bed. As soon as his socked feet had touched the carpet of his bedroom floor, about three more female house-elves emerged from behind Dobby and hurriedly rushed forward towards him, one of which was carrying an expensive pair of black shoes in her hand while the other two carried polish and brushes.

Ignoring their presence completely, Draco kicked past them just as they had knelt by his feet and strode towards the large full-length mirror in the corner, smirking to himself as he inspected his reflection. His hair was perfect as usual – neatly styled and gelled back while several strands fell into his eyes – and the clothes on his perfectly trim frame spoke of his obvious wealth and influence.

Looking a little bored with himself, Draco raised a hand and idly brushed back the strands of hair that fell into his eyes, inadvertently causing the emblazoned Malfoy Family Insignia on his ring to shimmer as it caught the light streaming through the crystal windows behind him. As he continued to inspect his appearance in disnterested silence, the three house-elves that had entered his room had gathered at his feet, had succeeded in helping him into his shoes and were now polishing them further.

Completely unperturbed about this morning routine, Dobby continued to stand by the large double doors of Draco's bedroom and watched him with resilient patience, his face stoic and calm. After a long moment of Draco _still _ignoring his presence, he finally cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Master Draco…? So you will be having lunch at school then, I presume? I shall inform the other house-elves of your absence later." He paused after this and briefly skimmed through the parchment in his hand, his eyebrows fusing together as he read through his neatly written itinerary.

"Just to remind you, Master Draco…Your Father called this morning..He left last night and will be stopping in New York within a couple of hours." Dobby noticed the way Draco had rolled his eyes after he had said this but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the parchment in his hand. "Also…He wishes me to remind you of your studies and how you are to keep at your standing as the top of your class. He specifically reminded me to make sure all your private tutors are available at your call—"

Draco simply refused to say anything and continued to stare blankly at his reflection with a cold, slightly weary expression in his gray eyes. By now, the house-elves cleaning his shoes were done and were now needlessly dusting his clothes and making sure the Malfoy Heir was completely spotless.

"Lastly—" Dobby paused again and peered up, watching as Draco purposely leaned backwards from the mirror with a cold, languid look of boredom, effectively causing the three house-elves around him to panic momentarily as they sought to summon a large plush armchair to support him as he sat.

"—your Mother, Master Draco—"

At that, Dobby caught Draco's attention and the Malfoy Heir flicked his eyes toward him.

Stiffening slightly at the cold, icy glare of the young blonde's eyes, Dobby refused to look up as he continued. "She's downstairs at the dining table having breakfast. She wishes to see you."

Even before Dobby had finished his sentence, Draco was already sneering at him and he scoffed at the end, shaking his head in disbelief. Still sneering, he stood back up from the armchair again, walked with intentional lack of speed towards his closet and pulled out a black jacket.

Once he had shrugged himself into it, he spoke for the first time since Dobby had appeared.

"Hmm…So the Ice Queen suddenly remembered she has a son, huh? Interesting…" Draco laughed bitterly to himself and turned to Dobby again, snatching the offered wand from his hand. "So what is it this time, Dobby? Is she in a bad mood and she wants to take it out on me?" He drawled.

He didn't really expect an answer to his own question but Dobby answered him anyway, shaking his head as he gestured for the three house-elves still behind Draco to exit the room again.

"She didn't say, Master Draco…Only that she wishes for me to summon you to her."

Scoffing, Draco took heed of his words but stiffened and walked briskly out of the bedroom.

"Why she can't even summon her own son, I'll never know." Draco muttered to himself as he reached the dining room and – without bothering to knock – stalked right inside. He raised an eyebrow as he was met with the usual sight of his mother – the elegant, highly sophisticated and incredibly beautiful Narcissa Malfoy – seated at the Head of the table in a long, silk blue evening gown.

Nothing less than what was expected of her, Narcissa looked positively _stunning _that morning; with her long glossy blonde hair tied up with a jeweled clip from her head and exposing the pure radiance of her aristocratic face. She ignored Draco standing in front of her, however, and continued to eat with the grace and fluidity of a true noble, her eyelashes lowered as she looked contemplative.

Finally, after delicately taking a sip of water from the crystalline glass in her hand, Narcissa slowly raised her perfectly curled lashes and stared at her son across the dining room. For a moment, the two blondes just stared at each other in hushed silence, as though seizing one another up before Narcissa finally broke the tension first and smiled at him – though the smile never reached her eyes.

"_Darling…_I came all the way here from Paris this morning…Aren't you going to give me a kiss?"

At once, Draco stiffened at her words and his eyes flashed in sarcastic contempt.

"You know…I _would _but something tells me that you didn't come here to see me…_Mother."_

Hearing the spite in his voice, a brief smirk crossed Narcissa's face but she held his gaze easily, raising an elegant eyebrow at him before turning back to the plate of salad in front of her. Then, as though she hadn't heard him at all, Narcissa chuckled and began to speak up in a soft, amused voice.

"I spoke with your sister last night…She and her husband will be visiting England again next week so I don't want you messing about with Quentin like you did last time. Is that understood?"

Though Narcissa barely spoke above a whisper, her voice commanded so much authority that even Draco, as much as he loved to hate her, had to admire her sense of power over other people.

At the implication of her words, however, he sneered at her again in rekindled anger.

"Quentin? Oh you mean that arse you forced your own daughter to marry?" Draco ignored the warning in his mother's eyes and scoffed at her, narrowing his eyes as he gave her a sardonic smirk.

"I don't even know how Callista can stomach his guts—"

"Your older sister knows that what I have done, I have done for _her _future."

Narcissa interrupted curtly before Draco could even finish his sentence, causing the Malfoy Heir to blink and step back as Narcissa gracefully rose back up from her seat. Dobby immediately rushed forward and helped her back up, bowing after as he handed her the parchments in his hand.

"Your itinerary for this morning, Mistress…"

She didn't answer but regarded him with a blank glare before pushing past him and walking towards the door, her kneels clicking noisily against the floor. As she reached the door, however, she stopped just as she was face to face with Draco's angry sneer and looked up at him again, smirking when she was met with her son's angry sneer and the way he was obviously trying to move away.

When Draco did nothing else but glare back silently at her, Narcissa just smiled back calmly at him with a cold, condescending glint in her bright blue eyes. Reaching a slender hand out towards him, she cupped his cheek briefly and rewarded her glaring son with a customary kiss on both cheeks.

"Continue to fare well in your studies, my darling…I shall see you again next month."

Without waiting for him to respond, Narcissa turned to stare pointedly at Dobby again.

"Dobby. Let's go."

His hands clenched and his face still set into an angry frown at his mother's words, Draco could only watch in resignation as she swept out of the room, her long skirt billowing behind her.

* * *

_Thank Merlin! Lunch time!_

Harry knew she must have looked like a fool as she rushed into the eating lounge that day but that didn't stop her from practically skipping to one of the nearby tables with a loud, exhausted sigh.

Strangely, her classes had gone off rather smoothly that morning and none of the other students seemed to be plaguing her with their usual stunts that day. Though she was thoroughly grateful for it, her suspicious side warned her not to let her guard down so easily. Nevertheless, the relative peace and quiet she enjoyed that day was still heavily offset by her increased homework.

_One way or another, SSPAM will still make me miserable... _Harry thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she began to spread out her lunch on the table. No sooner had she opened her lunch box and gazed inside, however, did her eyes widen considerably and she blinked several times in surprise.

When the realization finally processed in her head, her expression slowly softened into a small, affectionate smile and she chuckled, gently lifting the lid off her very favorite meal that afternoon.

_Boeuf Bourguignon…Beef braised in red wine and beef broth…Garlic…Onions…Carrots and Mushrooms…Mmmm…_Despite everything that had happened that day – or everything that had happened that entire _week, _Harry couldn't prevent the genuine feeling of contentment in her chest.

Still smiling and pretty much trying to prevent herself from digging immediately into the carefully prepared meal for fear of eating too fast, Harry grinned again and grabbed a small fork, carefully piercing into a particularly tender piece of meat. Then, making sure to savor the smell of the food quickly to fully enjoy its taste, she finally closed her eyes and took a big, satisfying bite.

The minute the food had entered her mouth, her eyes automatically closed in ecstasy.

_Mmm…That's SO good…Thank you, Mrs. Weasley…You're the best!_

She was so enraptured with her food that she hadn't noticed when another student had hesitantly approached her table with a small smile, his gaze lingering uncertainly on her expression.

"Hi…Er…_Harriet, _was it…? I—is this seat taken?"

Flicking her eyes back open and immediately flushing in embarrassment when she had been caught with her mouth full of food, Harry glanced back up and met the shy, smiling face of one of her classmates in 1-A. She couldn't seem to remember his name quite well but she remembered his face– knowing that he was one of the boys she had seen being bullied by the S-4 during her first day.

Giving the boy a sheepish smile to indicate her apology, Harry swallowed her food and managed to return his smile with an easy, friendly one of her own. "Er…Hi…I'm uh…" She laughed uncertainly and scratched behind her head, giving the friendly boy an embarrassed smile and nod.

"I'm sorry…To be honest, I know you're my classmate but I don't remember your name…" She gestured to the seat in front of her with another smile. "But sure, that seat is free. Go right ahead. Although I must warn you…People tend to stay away from me now with this thing on my arm." She held her arm up and showed him the Dark Mark still visible on her skin, expecting him to freak out.

To her astonishment, the boy just laughed nervously and took the seat next to her anyway. Giving her a small, rueful grin, he shrugged and held up his arm to show her his own Dark Mark.

"That wouldn't really matter to me since…Well…I've got a mark just like that."

At the sight of the similar Dark Mark imprinted on his arm, Harry's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak again but the boy beat her to it, offering her another small, friendly smile.

"I'm _Neville_, by the way…_Neville Longbottom…_Class 1-A, back row and one of S-4's unfortunate exiles this month." He chuckled helplessly at his own joke and began to dig into his newly bought tray of school-gourmet food. Harry continued to remain speechless as she watched him, waiting for him to continue speaking before she said anything else. "I just got back this morning from my sick leave and found out about what happened…You're Harriet, right? Harriet Jamie Potter?"

Harry answered him with nod and a small, friendly smile. "Yes, I am…But call me 'Harry' for short." She told him, unable to keep herself from asking the next question that popped into her head. "By the way… I _saw _the way those S-4 jerks were treating you during the first day of classes too…How do you stand it? I mean, you're a pureblood heir too right?" She asked curiously and Neville nodded at her question, reaching across the table and taking a small sip from his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"I suppose…I try not to think about it so much and eventually, Malfoy gets bored and all the bullying goes away. At least, that's how it's always been with me…This wasn't actually the _first _time this happened, you know…The S-4 used to bully me a lot too back at Durmstrang Intermediary." He explained to her as he ate and at his words, Harry's eyes flashed even more in growing resentment.

Before she could say anything, Neville had laughed and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it though, Harry…It's _fine…_Like I said, I've grown used to their antics."

Despite this, Harry was unable to prevent the look of guilt that suddenly flashed in her eyes and she looked back up at him to give him a small, understanding smile. "In that case…Are you sure that it's…_safe…_for you to be talking to me like this? I mean… They might get angrier with you…" She told him softly as she set her fork back down onto her plate. SHe bit her lip and glanced briefly around the room as though to confirm her suspicions, wincing when she noticed the students watching them.

"Like now…I'm pretty sure the S-4 has their spies watching us and might pick on you even more if they see you mingling with me. It's okay, you know… You don't have to be so nice—" She stopped when he cut her off by firmly shaking his head, holding a hand up to stop her midsentence.

He didn't wait for her to finish before laughing again and giving her a mildly admonishing look.

"What are you talking about, Harry? In the school's mind, we're _both _fugitives running from the S-4 here and whether I talk to you or not will certainly not make Malfoy even _more _pissed at us then he probably is already. Don't worry, I sat beside you because I wanted to be your friend."

At the genuine honesty Harry heard in Neville's voice, she couldn't help smiling back at him and nodding – albeit uncertainly. Though, truth be told, she still felt a little uneasy that S-4 might punish them _both _for mingling with each other, the greater part of her felt as though the entire world had been lifted from her shoulders just at the mere _realization _that not everyone in SSPAM was a jerk.

Feeling a little awkward at the silence and unsure of what she was supposed to say, Harry coughed and saved herself from the situation by taking another bite of her lunch instead. After a few awkward moments of the two of them chewing their food silently, Neville gave her a friendly smile.

"So…Would you like me to show you around school?"

"That depends. Know any corridors I can use to completely avoid bumping into the S-4?"

"Name the wing and destination…?"

Laughing, Harry gave him a genuine grin this time reached for another bite of her lunch again, completely unaware of the tall, lingering shadow that was beginning to approach them. As their lighthearted conversation progressed, neither she nor Neville realized that a tall, darkly glaring blonde was walking towards their table from behind. It wasn't until she had actually _heard _his snide voice that Harry became aware of Draco Malfoy's presence, forcing her to stiffen and whirl around in her seat.

"Well, well, well…If it isn't my two favorite losers…Now _who _said you could talk to each other?"

She was immediately pierced into place by a pair of mocking gray eyes.

"Malfoy."

When the Malfoy Heir continued to do nothing but stare them down for the next few minutes or so, Harry finally gulped and took the time to observe his stance carefully. She watched as the blonde's elegant eyebrow arched slowly at her in obvious annoyance and he crossed his arms over his chest, drawing attention to the expensive-looking clothes that fit perfectly onto his lean frame.

Realizing her own staring, Harry's blush intensified and she shot him a nasty glare.

Malfoy just sneered back, his eyes lingering over her rumpled uniform in disdain.

"What are you staring at, half-breed? Have you never seen clean clothes before?"

For a minute, she was caught completely off guard and could do nothing else but gape back blankly at him in humiliation when she heard the sarcastic ire in his voice. She lowered her fork slowly and tried to tilt her chin up to in defense but Malfoy's sneer just widened and his eyebrow rose higher.

"Funny…" He began, his eyes narrowing even more as they traveled over to glare at Neville. "I don't recall giving _either _of you two permission to seek each other's company." He walked over to stand behind Neville and took the goblet of juice from his tray, dumping it over the teen's head.

"_STOP IT MALFOY—"_

Harry nearly jumped up in shock at this but it seemed Malfoy wasn't finished yet and he smirked wider as he dropped the now empty goblet to the floor with a loud clang. Looking particularly pleased with himself and looking _very _amused at the sight of Neville now feebly wiping himself off with a table napkin, Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he turned to Hary again and met her glare with a cold smile.

She fought the irresistable urge to spit at his annoyingly handsome face in disgust.

"And _YOU, _half-breed!" Malfoy's voice lowered into a menacing hiss as he reached his hand into his robes and took out his wand, pointing it directly at Harry's glaring features. "By now, I would have thought you had already learned to keep your mouth shut…How _DARE _you try to defy me again?" He raised his wand from her face and pointed it at her food instead with a mocking smile.

"You dirty, no good, _BASTARD—"_

"_Silence!"_

Then, ignoring the way Harry's eyes had widened and her muscles had tensed up even more in anticipation, Malfoy took one careful look at the food in front of her and let out a contemptous sneer.

"Commoners…Like you—" He flicked his wand and easily levitated the container of food into the air and continued, his face completely devoid of any emotion even when Harry had protested loudly again and even Neville seemed to be looking hesitant. "—shouldn't be eating food like _THIS!" _

With a single flick of Malfoy's wand, Harry's jaw dropped and her eyes could only widen in helpless defeat when the well-prepared lunch that Mrs. Weasley had spent so much time cooking for her was now a messy glop on the marble floors just near Malfoy's expensive, leather black shoes.

_ That dish…Must have cost Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a couple galleons to prepare._

She hadn't even realized her own reaction as she just sat there in her seat – unblinking and staring with blazing green eyes at the spilt food on the floor. Only when Malfoy had sneered again and deliberately brought one of his shiny black shoes down to mush the food down even further did Harry finally snap herself out of her shock and she blinked rapidly, flicking her wide eyes back up to meet his.

_Inhuman…Disgusting…Bastard._

The green in her eyes had darkened ominously at this point that even Neville had to step away from her in nervousness but Malfoy was obviously undaunted and continued to smirk tauntingly at her in dislike. One of his elegant eyebrows was raised in challenge and he watched calmly as Harry slowly rose out of her seat with her fists clenched and her entire form convulsing with unmistakeable rage.

By now, the rest of the other SSPAM students around the room had stopped their activities and were now watching them closely – most of which were waiting curiously for Harry's reaction. Among them, Harry had yet to notice, were the rest of the S-4 who were slowly walking down the stairs from their private area on the second floor and had stopped just several steps behind Malfoy.

Unperturbed by all the eyes on her, however, Harry just kept her stance steady and continued to stare up at Malfoy with blazing green eyes – glowing clearly even through her glasses. Her face was blank and devoid of any emotion but she was trembling with anger and that alone set off the necessary warning bells to anyone else to stay away from her as she continued to walk towards Malfoy.

Malfoy, unfortunately, was not like everyone else so he chuckled again and turned around, searching the room lazily for his friends. He smirked when he caught sight of them not too far behind.

"Hey…Let's go to Diagon Alley after school today." He drawled to Theodore Nott, the closest one to him at the time but the other boy just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Again, Draco…? What for?"

Malfoy's lips twitched in amusement at this and he chuckled, casually smoothing back his gelled blonde hair. Still smirking, he turned around completely in a deliberate attempt to ignore Harry and began to walk back over to where Nott, Krum and Zabini were standing several feet away.

"Because…I need new shoes." Malfoy made a face and gestured to the ones he had on, carelessly flicking his hand in Harry's direction. "I just dirtied these up…I can't stand dirty things."

Nott and Krum both chuckled helplessly at this while Zabini chose to remain silent. Unlike the other three – who were still busying laughing with each other – his eyes peered up over Malfoy's shoulder at Harry's figure several feet away and he watched curiously as she finally reached them.

"Hold on a minute, Malfoy."

Blinking once and a little surprised at her audacity, Malfoy's lips twitched in amusement again as he slowly turned back around to face her, walking back over to where she was still standing.

"Huh…? What do you want _now, _Potter…?" He stopped about a foot away from where she stood and sneered down at her, twirling his wand around in his fingers as he waited for her to speak.

"Well? Speak up. I haven't got all day."

Harry remained deathly silent and continued to glare up at him, her green eyes glowing so brightly that even Malfoy couldn't help staring at them in avid fascination. Eventually, he had been staring so long at her eyes that he failed to notice that Harriet had taken a step toward him again. She raised both her hands up to her chest, her face slowly curling into that of a disgusted growl.

"I don't know if you're a rich little Daddy's boy or not…" She paused after she had said this and narrowed her eyes, looking up and watching carefully as Malfoy's own eyes hardened at her words.

He looked as though he was about to say something back in retaliation but she didn't give him a chance to react before she spoke again, her voice slowly gaining volume and force with each word. "Frankly, I don't even _care._" She sneered and raised her hands up higher, closing them into fists.

"Maybe you use that big head of yours to mask _smaller _things…If you know what I mean."

Harry's comment, spoken with such blatant mockery, drew such a surprising amount of laughter from most of the other students watching them that she felt a glimmer of strength – especially when she saw the humiliated flush forming on Malfoy's face and the smirks of the other S-4.

"To me…You're nothing but a sorry, pathetic little loser who has never earned a single _knut _before on his own and likes to pick on others to mask his sad insecurities…" Harry's lips twitched venomously and she began hopping on her feet, holding her fists up to her chest in a boxing stance.

Malfoy looked confused when he saw her movements but his eyes were beginning to glint at her taunts. Yet still she continued, fully aware that the entire hall of students was watching them. Nervous yet exhilarated at the same time, she finally glanced back up again, met Malfoy's wide gray eyes directly with a cold, dark look, and then drew her right fist back as far as she possibly could.

"_JUST STOP BEING SO DAMN COCKY, MALFOY!"_

_**SSSSHMACK!**_

And just like that, with a loud, sickening 'smack', Draco Malfoy had fallen to a rather undignified, ungraceful heap of limbs onto the floor. Flushing darkly and clutching his red, bruised cheek in pain, Malfoy flicked his gaze back up quickly and stared, with wide, _genuinely shocked_ gray eyes, back up at Harry as she towered over him, her chin held high and her eyes gleaming in triumph.

"Consider this my acceptance of your games…You _or _the S-4 don't scare me at all."

Harry could have _sworn _that the strange, unfamiliar sparkle in Malfoy's eyes was something akin to amazement but she chose to ignore it and regard it as confusion instead. Fully aware that the entire hall of students – including the remaining three members of S-4 – were still watching them, she stopped just as she was a couple of inches away from Malfoy and gave him a glare of challenge.

"I will _never _surrender. This is _war, _Malfoy. And I'm going to fight back with all my strength."

Malfoy, for his part, could do nothing but gape stupidly up at her from the floor.

She smirked at him, raising a single eyebrow before looking up and pointedly meeting the faces of all the other students staring at them from around the room. Most of them – like Neville, Pansy, and the Terrible Trio, were pale and were trembling in horror at what she had done while the remaining three of the S-4 – Zabini, in particular – was looking at her with a small hint of a smile. Nott and Krum, on the other hand, were watching her with amused smirks on their handsome faces.

When the silence extended for almost five more minutes – during which nobody dared to say anything – Harry finally realized the gravity of what she had done and began to pale in nervousness.

_Oh bloody hell…What have I done…What have I done…What have I DONE?_

It took her three _more _minutes however, of staring into that shocked, stunned silence of SSPAM students before she found the strength to move and began to back away slowly from the S-4. Malfoy, strangely enough, hadn't moved an _inch _from where he had fallen and the S-4 leader looked as though he was in a trance, staring up at her with a strange, unreadable expression in his eyes.

She ignored him completely and without saying another word, she walked back over to her vacated table, gathered her things back into her bag and began to head slowly towards the exit.

_Just walk away Harry…Just walk away now…Walk away._

After casting quick glances at both Neville and Pansy – the former of which gave her a thumbs-up sign while the latter was smiling smugly to herself – Harriet turned on her heel and began to make her way through the crowd gathered around them. As though in unspoken instinct, the students parted easily to make a pathway for her as she did this and much to her amusement, neither Malfoy nor the remaining members of the S-4 did or said anything to stop her from walking away.

_Just walk away from this, Harry…Walk away before Malfoy gets back on his feet._

Gulping and suddenly feeling all of her initial nervousness returning when whispers began to spread out from among the watching students, Harry quickened her pace and hurried out of the room. Just before she had walked out of the door, she dared to cast one last look at the S-4 again and the sight that greeted her was one that sent a strange ripple of giddy happiness soaring through her chest.

From the corner of the room, a few of steps behind Malfoy's stunned, fallen figure, Blaise Zabini was staring at her and for the first time since she met him, a small smile was on his face.

A genuine, handsome smile.

And he was smiling at _her._

* * *

Under ordinary circumstances, Harriet knew that she should have been feeling very nervous that night about what she had done and about what Malfoy could possibly do to her next in retaliation. She _also _knew that she had done _nothing _to improve her reputation with the stunt she pulled that afternoon and if anything, her encounters with the notorious S-4 were certainly _far _from over.

However, as she lay there on her bed that night and stared blissfully up at the white canopy of her ceiling, she smiled to herself again and hugged her pillow tighter to her chest with a soft exhale.

All she could really think about was Blaise Zabini's handsome smile.

_He smiled at me…Even after I punched Malfoy's brains out. Isn't that…Strange?_

Before she could think of the answer to her own question, Harry suddenly cringed and shook her head hastily to clear her thoughts. Flushing darkly again and mentally berating herself for being so enamored with the Italian Heir, she clenched her eyes and smooshed her face against her pillow.

_Potter, what the bloody hell is wrong with you? Zabini is one of the S-4! You're not supposed to like him! They're the enemy, remember? Who knows what they have in store for you now?_

Harry scowled and lifted the pillow off her face so she could glare up at the ceiling again.

_I'm not afraid of them…Whatever they have in store for me now, bring it on. _Harry's eyes darkened in contempt and she clenched her hands into fists again, feeling a sense of satisfaction once again as she recalled the expression on Malfoy's face when she had punched him that afternoon.

_I know they'll be coming for me now…I'm sure of it…But I don't regret what I did today. _She blinked and lifted her arm up to the glow of the light, staring silently at the Dark Mark on her pale skin.

_Malfoy wants a war…? I'll give him a war._

Her lips twitched and she nodded firmly to herself before snuggling into her pillow again, sighing as she reached for her wand and extinguished the remaining lights in her room. Once in the darkness, she fell asleep instantly and it wasn't until the next morning that she'd soon regret her thoughts.

* * *

At approximately around 7:30AM the following day, just as Harriet had cheerfully bid the Weasleys goodbye and bounded out the front door to head to school, a group of cloaked men with white masks had suddenly accosted her just outside the house and began to drag her towards a large carriage situated a couple of meters from their street – the windows of which had been pulled down.

"_WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? LET ME GO! WHO ARE YOU? SOMEBODY HELP ME!"_

Harry's eyes widened in fear and she struggled wildly against her captors as they neared the carriage but her efforts were in vain and soon, she began to panic – heightened even more by heart-pounding nervousness when she realized the actual danger she might have gotten herself into.

Terrified and unsure of what else she could do, she opened her mouth to scream for help but even before a sound came out, one of the men behind her raised his wand and muttered a spell.

"_Stupefy!"_

Her mind blanked out instantly and just as Harry was _certain _that she was in danger, she managed to flick her gaze back at the carriage again, if just to catch a glimpse of her supposed captor.

The minute she did, her eyes instantly narrowed and she felt a fury rising in her chest.

_Why…that…disgusting…stupid…son…of…a…_

The last thing she saw, before she lost consciousness, was Draco Malfoy's piercing gray eyes staring intently at her from the open carriage window – followed by his devastatingly handsome smirk.

"Good morning, Potter."

* * *

**A/N:** I really _should _give you guys a break and stop posting cliffhangers at the end but for some reason, I just can't help it. Hahaha. :P Just a few responses to some queries from the reviews though:

Firstly, if any of you see stories similar to this (a good example is **Simplistic's **own cute James/Lily story that shares the same title as this one), I promise I didn't copy from any them. They're similar because, as I said, it's based on the same Manga/JDrama – **Hana Yori Dango** so it's inevitable that this story may have similarities with others. Even the title I used, **A Declaration of War**, was based on one of the chapters of the Manga. Accordingly, I attribute everything to HYD in my disclaimer. ^_^

Secondly, in response to some other queries, I will **NOT **be writing Draco to be as dumb or naïve as Tsukasa was in the series. ^_~ As I said, this is an **ADAPTATION** so I will be making a lot of adjustments to fit the HP world and characters more suitably. Hope that works better for you guys. :D

**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR! CHEERS EVERYONE! :D**


	6. Draco Malfoy & Blaise Zabini

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** Wow, I didn't think I'd be able to get the next chapter up yet. I expected to update Phoenix Tears first. Haha. Oh well...Hope you all enjoy this little treat! :D

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Draco Malfoy & Blaise Zabini**

"Oh she has such a lovely face…But we should do something about those dreadful glasses."

"Her skin is very smooth…We should give some lotion to make it even softer."

"Let's put some conditioner in her hair…Comb out the tangles first."

Nothing but blinding white lights greeted Harriet when she opened her eyes about a half hour later that morning that she had to squint several times to refocus her vision. About a dozen different female voices were resonating all around her as she woke up, causing her to stiffen in confusion.

_Huh…? Where…Am…I…?_

Harry tried to open her eyes wider so she could peer up at the number of nearby female faces that were busying over her form but she groaned as soon as the bright lights above her hit her eyes.

"Hey…She's waking up. We're not done yet. Put her back to sleep."

"Oh look…She has _green _eyes…Let's change the color of her dress to match her eyes instead."

She felt the smooth end of the wand tapped gently against her forehead.

"_Somnus."_

Harry tried to open her eyes again and sit up when she heard more and more unfamiliar voices speaking around her but then she felt a sudden sleepiness overcoming her again. Without meaning to, she began to fall back down against the mattress she was lying on in utter exhaustion.

As her eyes closed slowly and she lay back down onto the firm mattress, a dozen pairs of gloved hands began to reach for her from all directions, engulfing her small frame with their shadows.

"Let's get started."

* * *

A distinct, classical melody lingered softly in the background as Harriet regained consciousness a couple of hours later and she began squinting again, opening her eyes slowly and taking in her surroundings. By now, she realized that she had no idea where she was and that she had been taken there against her knowledge, recalling to mind the incident that morning when she been kidnapped.

What she _didn't _realize, however, was that as she was waking up right then and there – positioned rather carefully atop a large, luxuriously plush armchair – a pair of bright silver orbs were watching her carefully from several feet away, amusement and admiration clearly seen in their depths.

_Where…Am I?_

Unfortunately, her anonymous observer seemed content to stay silent as she stirred herself awake that Harry failed to realize she wasn't alone and she stretched, reaching behind her to massage her neck. She did this for a couple more minutes before she blinked and finally noticed her sudden change of attire, her eyes widening in shock as they flicked to the silk emerald dress on her frame.

A large, full-length mirror had strategically been placed in front of her and Harriet only noticed it now as she woke, causing the speechless teenager to gape and rise up cautiously from her seat to inspect her appearance. Her legs positively shook as she stood up and after one initial glance at her reflection, Harry almost didn't want to believe that the beautiful girl staring back was actually _her._

_ Merlin's beard…Is that…Me…? Do I really look like that…?_

Eyes wide and fingers trembling, she raised one of her hands up and delicately fingered the beautiful diamond necklace around her neck. As her gaze lifted further, she noticed the soft shades of perfectly applied make-up accentuating her face, as well as the way her long, black hair had been combed, blow-dried and styled neatly so that the strands fell in straight, soft locks down her back.

The black-framed glasses she usually were gone now and Harry noticed that strangely, even without them, she could still see perfectly – if not, _better_ than how she used to see before.

_Wow…I can see without my glasses…?_

Her reaction was followed by her soft gasp as she let her eyes travel downward to the pair of expensive, high-heeled shoes on her feet, each clasp adorned with a small diamond. The dress she was wearing was strapless and wrapped tightly around her torso to emphasize her small waist. It ended in a short, flowing skirt above her knees, seductively exposing a good portion of legs. This seemed to match perfectly with the shoes, however, and upon further inspection of her appearance, Harriet noticed the matching diamond jewelry dangling from her ears and circled around her wrist.

She looked, in one word, _stunning, _and even Harriet herself couldn't deny that simple fact.

"You're incredibly beautiful…_Potter._"

Draco Malfoy's familiar, drawling voice broke right through Harry's silent gaping at herself.

"A princess befitting even someone with _my _standards of perfection."

At his haughty remark, Harriet stiffened immediately and turned around so fast that the high-heeled shoes she was wearing almost made her lose her balance. Steadying herself quickly and self-consciously smoothing down the short hemline of her skirt, she looked up and finally noticed the smirking blonde's presence for the first time since she woke up. Malfoy sat on one of the larger high-backed armchairs near the front part of the room with his ankle resting lazily against his knee.

A rather self-satisfied smirk was on his face as he stared at her from all the way across the large, luxurious room. The large, crystalline windows behind him were casting fine streaks of sun over his form and illuminated the unique silver shade of his hair, as well as the intensity of his eyes.

One of his elbows was resting against the armrest of the chair and he had positioned his chin on top of his palm as he watched her silently, admiration clearly reflected in his gaze. When he noticed her staring back at him – her face twisting slowly into an unwelcome smile – the smirk on his face widened and he couldn't help chuckling to himself in amusement as he met her angry glare.

"I don't mean to stare, Potter…But you clean up very nicely…I'm impressed."

If anything, his words made the flush on Harry's face darken and her glare intensified.

"Enough of your games, Malfoy…Where are my clothes? And where did you put my glasses?"

Malfoy did nothing but smile smugly at her and lean back against his chair. His stance was oozing with such casual arrogance that she longed to punch the lights out of the handsome heir gain.

"You don't need those dreadful things anymore, Potter…" He made a face and arched an eyebrow. "I had your vision fixed… Those glasses did nothing but hide the vibrancy of your eyes."

Harry's eyes widened at his remark but before she got the chance to react, he spoke again.

"Besides…I want to be able to _look _into your eyes when I stare at you…I rather like them."

If it was possible, Harry's eyes widened even more and she almost couldn't find the strength to speak as she tried to voice her thoughts. "Wh—what? What in _Merlin's _name are you even _talking _about, Malfoy? Have you gone completely _mental? _Why have you kidnapped me? Where am I?"

She screeched and looked around the large, luxuriously decorated room again in an attempt to figure out where she was. Unfortunately, this accomplished nothing but than make her gape even more at the exquisitely designed and lavish furniture of the room that she almost forgot to speak.

_Merlin's bloody beard…This place looks like a museum!_

Glancing back him, it looked as though Malfoy was amused at the reaction on her face but even as he opened his mouth to say something, Harry beat him to it again and gave him another glare.

"Where the hell am I, Malfoy? Where are my clothes? Take this stupid dress off me right now!"

Instead of accomplishing the intention of her threat, Malfoy's smirk only widened even more at the sexual innuendo in her words and his eyebrow rose higher, causing Harry to sputter in realization.

"It would give me great _pleasure _to take that dress off you, Potter…Although I must say that here in the sitting room is not the place I'd prefer to do so…Perhaps in the privacy of my bedroom?"

By now, Harry was certain that if she had any remaining blood left at all, it was already flooding into her cheeks. Incredibly scandalized at his perverted comment, she tried to mask her mortification by taking a step away from him and self-consciously crossing her arms over her chest.

"You _wish, _Malfoy…Now answer my question, where the _hell _did you bring me?"

At this, Malfoy's smirk finally widened into an actual grin and he stood up slowly from his chair, walking over to her stiff form in slow, deliberate strides. Harry's eyes widened and she unconsciously began to back away as he did this, causing the S-4 leader to grin wider in growing amusement.

"We're at Malfoy Manor, of course…This is my house…Can't you tell…?" His voice took on a definite air of superiority as he finally stopped in front of her and gestured lazily around the room. "You're in the East Wing sitting room of the Manor right now…One of my favorite rooms, actually…"

Harry's cheeks lost a fair amount of color at the thought of being trapped in the very residence of her enemy but she refused to let her nervousness show. Instead, she clenched her jaw and held her ground right in front of him, tilting her chin back up so she could glare up into his handsome face.

"Alright, scratch that…I don't care _where _I am…Just take me back, Malfoy! Take me back to school right now or I swear to Merlin, I'll…I'll report you for kidnapping!" Her voice broke near the end of her sentence and didn't quite do its job so Malfoy ended up chuckling again and shaking his head.

"It's 9AM, Potter…Second period…We have lots of time... First, I have a proposition for you."

Her eyes narrowed instantly at this but as she opened her mouth to answer him, Malfoy continued, turning around and walking back over to the large, luxurious windows in front of them. Harry watched him walking away silently, careful not to let any emotions show as she spoke again.

"What kind of proposition…?"

Unknown to her, Malfoy's lips twitched at the angry suspicion in her voice. He stopped just as he reached the crystalline windows overlooking the beautiful gardens just outside the manor.

"Consider it a kind of…_business arrangement…_if you will." He smirked to himself again and turned back around to face her, his eyes lingering intently up and down her slender frame.

"But before I say anything else, I want you to call it off."

Caught off guard, the anger on Harriet's face disappeared briefly – replaced by bewilderment.

"Call _what _off?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and his lips twisted slowly into a derisive, irritated sneer.

"I want you to call off the war you declared on me…Publicly call it off—" Harry's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to cut him off but Malfoy continued, his voice dripping with arrogance. "—in front of the school…And in return, I'll offer you something beyond your wildest dreams, Potter."

More infuriated with the manner in which he had spoken than concerned about what he intended for her at this point, Harry's cheeks began to darken again and she clenched her jaw.

"Oh really…? And just _why _would I do _that, _Malfoy…? What can you _possibly _offer me?"

She was surprised; however, that instead of answering her, he looked at her again and smiled, inadvertently causing the younger teen to blush when she noticed how handsome he actually was.

"Me."

Blinking stupidly, Harry stared and gaped at him in speechless disbelief.

"What…?"

His smirked widened and he chuckled to himself, languidly crossing his arms over his chest.

"You get exactly the perfect male specimen you're staring at."

Highly embarrassed at her own unintentional staring at him and growing even angrier at herself when it looked as though Malfoy had noticed her blush, she tried to move away but that was when the S-4 leader spoke again, his soft voice alight with teasing mirth as he searched her face.

"Did you know…This morning, I've spent about—" He cocked an eyebrow and pretended to stroke his chin in thought. "—let's peg the amount to an approximate of 1,000,000 galleons even." He smirked and pointedly admired her appearance again, his eyes lingering on the curves of her body.

Confused, Harry stared back at him and shook her head in horrified disbelief.

"I don't understand…How could you spend that much in one morning—?"

Malfoy shook his head at her reaction and glanced at her appearance again, deliberately letting his intense gray eyes linger unnecessarily over the expensive diamonds adorning her body.

"Five piece diamond jewelry set…" Malfoy smirked and began pointing to each piece of jewelry she was wearing one by one. "Earrings…Necklace…Bracelet…Ring…" He chuckled as Harry's eyes nearly popped out when she inspected the ring on her finger. "Especially cut and designed to my tastes…About…750,000 galleons…" He paused again and moved his gaze down to her heeled shoes.

"Exclusively designed, diamond-encrusted shoes imported from New York…150,000 galleons…"

Her cheeks colored in dismay and she opened her mouth to protest but Malfoy wasn't finished.

"Full body, hair, and make-up treatment from the finest beauticians in Europe…Available at my beck and call, of course…100,000 galleons…" Malfoy's smirk slowly transformed into a smile again as he reached a hand over and ran his hand through her soft, black locks. "All in all, a total of one million galleons even, Potter…And here you stand looking like an absolute goddess…Does it feel good…?"

All Harry could do was open and close her mouth like that of a choking fish out of water.

"I—I…A—a million galleons…? H—how…Wh—why…? I didn't…want…"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her again, clearly displeased by her unexpected reaction.

"Yes, Potter…A _million _galleons…_That's _how much I've spent on you today."

Harry's gaze flickered in dismay and she trembled as she tried to remove the jewelry.

"What do you want, Malfoy…? Are you…Trying to push me into debt by giving me all these things?" She tried to yank the diamond ring off her finger but to no avail so she clenched her hands into fists and glared back up at him instead. "I didn't ask for them, Malfoy! Just take them all back—"

"Stop talking, Potter."

Malfoy sneered and used her momentary state of shock to move his hand down from her hair, down the smooth skin of her back until it rested on the curve of her waist. Once he had managed to curl and lock his arm securely around her, he smirked and yanked her impatiently against him, inadvertently causing the younger teen to gasp in shock as she was pressed up against his frame.

"What are you doing? Get off me—"

"I said, _STOP TALKING."_

The angry curses that had formed in her head vanished as Malfoy had grabbed her by her arm, spun them around and slammed her forcefully against the wall on the side of the room. Wincing in pain, she tried to move away but then he trapped her body with his own and caged her in by placing both of his hands on either side of her head. She was beginning to panic at this point but Malfoy ignored her protests and used one of his hands to jerk her chin up so she could look into his eyes.

"Look at me, Potter."

Undaunted and refusing to let him see the nervousness she felt, Harry's eyes narrowed and she met his glare, stiffening in disgust when his fingers began to trace the skin of her cheek. Her eyes flashed and she tried to pull away from his touch but his grip on her just tightened even more.

"Don't _touch _me, Malfoy!"

He looked irritated at her reaction and he growled, forcing her to tilt her chin up higher.

"What the bloody hell is your problem, Potter? Aren't you happy?" He tried to turn her face again to make her look more clearly at him but Harry just growled and stubbornly turned away. "I've invested that much amount of money on you already. You should be thanking me!" He added in growing annoyance and his hands tightened as Harry began to struggle more wildly against him.

"_Thanking _you? For what? I didn't ask you to! Let me go—"

"I want you to smile, Potter." Malfoy suddenly interrupted as he somehow managed to tilt her chin up to meet his face again, his gray eyes narrowing as they rested on her flushed, angry features.

Harry gritted her teeth and glared back defiantly at him, refusing to submit to his demands.

"_I SAID SMIILE, POTTER!"_

She jumped at his unexpected explosion at her but kept her resolve firm. She continued to glare back up at him, shaking her head angrily and trying to shove away his hands from her waist.

"You _IDIOT!" _

Harry's eyes hardened into a darker shade of green as she looked up and met the evident impatience in his eyes, realizing for the first time that morning that Malfoy was, in fact, serious with his ridiculous proposal. Nevertheless, she _still _found him completely detestable at that and before he got any other ideas, she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible — hopefully in one piece.

"Malfoy, _LET ME GO!"_

After a long series of struggles with the Malfoy Heir, she finally managed to wrestle his hands off of her frame and she slapped him right across the face, forcing the older teen to step back. When he refused to relinquish his hold on her, however, Harry growled and began to push at him harder.

"I said let me _GO, _Malfoy! You're disgusting!" She grunted and began to shove against his chest. "You stupid, arrogant prick! How the bloody hell can I smile at _YOU?_" Malfoy caught her hand when she had tried to slap him again but she yanked it back easily and began to struggle wilder.

"I didn't want all of this! And I certainly don't want them from _YOU!_" Harry's eyes darkened in resentment and she turned her face sharply away when he had tried to make her look at him again.

"What are you talking about?" Malfoy's glare intensified and he looked as though he was having difficulty believing her as he growled and yanked her smaller form even closer against him. "Of course you want this! Was it not _you _backthere who was so enamored with her reflection only moments ago?" He sneered pointedly at her and raised a hand to stroke her cheek to make his point.

"Tell me you didn't like what you saw, Potter…Did you not admire the way you looked?" His voice dropped to a slightly amused voice before he continued. "It's amazing, isn't it…? How money has the power to change a person completely…Even a common half-breed like you." Malfoy sneered again but refused to relinquish his hold on her waist, wrapping his arms even tighter around her body.

Ignoring her disgusted glares and grunts, he raised an eyebrow and cast a furtive glance around the lush sitting around them in idle boredom. "There is _nothing…_and _no one…_in this fickle world that money can't buy…" He chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to meet her eyes.

"All of the world's finest pleasures…" Malfoy raised one of his hands and used his long fingers to caress her face, inadvertently causing the black-haired girl to stiffen and sharply pull away. The Malfoy Heir looked extremely irritated at her reaction to this but he continued speaking anyway.

"The most _beautiful _things in this life are acquired through money; Potter…There is no such thingthat can't be bought from this world…Nothing that I can't give you…Absolutely _nothing._" Malfoy's smirk transformed into a slow smile at that and he looked as though he was amused at her silence.

"As long as _I'm _happy and satisfied with you, Potter…I'll buy you whatever you may want…" Malfoy's smile widened and he leaned in even closer, his arms tightening around her waist. "Anything and _everything _you desire…You name it." He paused and used a single finger to tilt her chin up again, allowing Harry to see the raw desire and growing impatience that was emanating from his silver orbs.

"All you have to do," Malfoy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is to _publicly _withdraw that stupid declaration you made and submit yourself to me entirely…" His smirk widened suggestively at that. "Let's end this petty little war, Potter…There are much _better _things we can both make use of our time for when it comes to entertaining each other." He chuckled at the blush growing on her pale cheeks.

"Don't you agree…?"

As though to prove his point, the tone of Malfoy's voice took on a more heated whisper and he pulled her close against him again, one of his hands snaking up and entangling its fingers in her hair. Harry gaped at his audacity and tried to pull away but despite her efforts, his hands were already beginning to roam the curves of her body, causing the younger teen to screech and shove at him.

"Stop it, Malfoy! Don't touch me or I swear I'll _scream_! You're disgusting, _SHOVE OFF!" _

The blush on her face darkened considerably and she somehow managed to yank herself away from his arms. She took about five steps away from him, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing and she was positively trembling as she moved away from his lean form.

_Bloody Merlin's beard…He's actually serious with this!_

Looking back up to watch him, she was briefly surprised to see that he wasn't making any moves again to get near her but the S-4 leader looked unmistakably furious with her – his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and his lips curled into a displeased sneer. Ignoring this, Harry managed to catch her breath and growled back warningly at him, clenching her hands into small, angry fists.

Her soft voice shook as she spoke and it was barely above a whisper, but it was resonating with so much unmistakable rage and revulsion that even Malfoy couldn't have been oblivious to it.

"I will _never _submit to you, Malfoy—" She sneered when it looked as though Malfoy was going to interrupt her again and continued to speak before he could cut her off. "I will _never_ surrender."

His handsome face darkened in anger and he met her sneer easily with one of his own.

"What's the matter with you, Potter? Did you not hear a single word I just said?" He tried to pull her against him again but Harry was prepared this time and shoved him back with great force. Still, Malfoy was persistent and he continued trying, his voice growing louder with anger each time.

"What part of it don't you understand? It's so goddamn _simple!_" His eyes darkened with lust again and he began to grit his teeth in frustration as he stared intently at her from mere inches away.

"I want you…_Very badly, _I might add..."

Harry opened her mouth to shout at him but Malfoy kept on talking.

"Your feistiness captivates me...No other girl has caught my interest as much as you have." He looked a little confused at his own confession but still he continued. "I want to see if that oh-so-passionate, headstrong nature of yours can be transformed into another kind of energy altogether."

Harry's eyes widened and the angry blush on her face quickly turned into one of stunned mortification but Malfoy continued anyway. "And as long as you keep me satisfied, I'll keep you…" He ran a hand through his hair with a low growl, unconsciously mussing up the immaculate blond strands.

"You want jewelry? Diamonds?" He gestured to the diamonds sparkling from the necklace around her neck and the earrings dangling from her ears. "I'll make sure to give you the rarest jewels from all around the world…" He moved his gestures down to her dress and sighed impatiently. "You want designer clothes? Shoes? Bags? I'll give you those too…_ANYTHING…YOU…WANT…POTTER._"

Harry continued to gape at him with a stunned expression on her face.

Malfoy's eyes softened considerably and her momentary shock finally allowed him to move closer to her so he could pull her back against him. He raised his hand and slowly traced the outline of her soft lips, genuine admiration and fascination seen clearly from those bright, mercury gray orbs.

"You're…_very _beautiful, Potter…And I want you to be mine…"

She paled and shivered as he did this, unsure of exactly how she was supposed to react.

The older teen didn't seem to mind, however, and he continued to stare at her face in comfortable silence. "I'll even have bodyguards escort you wherever you go…Personal servants at your beck and call everyday…" His lips quirked upwards slightly and he lean in even closer, smirking when he felt her stiffen against him and he heard the way she had poorly tried to muffle her startled gasp.

"I'll let you walk several steps behind me when we're together at school, Potter…How does that sound?" Malfoy's eyes gleamed in pleasure at the thought. "And when no one's around, I'll even let you walk beside me…" His voice dropped to a low suggestive drawl and his look became heated. "I'll give you the exclusive honor and responsibility of warming my bed for me every night…Of being the _only _woman who can actually _stay _in it with me for the entire night…" He grinned impishly at her, chuckling when he saw the way Harry was sputtering to herself and flushing as red as a ripe tomato.

"Well…? What do you say, Potter…? This is a once in a lifetime chance for you, isn't it? Surely you must be stunned beyond words by now…I can understand why…" He laughed again to himself and wrapped his arms around her waist, sliding one of his hands teasingly up and down her back.

"Now…Smile for me, Potter…I want to see the beauty I'll be so generously paying for."

Surprisingly, though she didn't know how it was possible, Harry felt herself flush even darker with righteous anger and she literally had to bite down hard on her tongue to keep from cursing at him. A part of her knew that she shouldn't let the S-4 leader bother her or antagonize her so much but most of her just felt so incredibly _infuriated _and _outraged _at the blonde's sheer, blunt audacity.

She couldn't _believe _that Malfoy was actually serious about his ridiculous little offer! She was almost tempted to reason out that he was doing this just to humiliate her but looking at his expression and, as much as she didn't want to notice, the _genuine lust_ in his eyes, she knew he wasn't kidding.

Draco Malfoy was asking her to submit to him…For _money. _

Harriet had never been more insulted, infuriated, and humiliated in her entire life.

Here she was – trapped right in her enemy's territory – and he had somehow managed to end up successfully making her feel so defiled yet again. By doing what she never would have expected.

By asking her to be his own, personal _whore._

_Son of a…Insensitive…Disgusting…Conceited…Piece of…Dung…_

Harry's eyes were glowing eerily with rage as she blinked back rapidly at his handsome, sneering face and stared at him as though he was the vilest, most despicable creature on earth.

"Are you an idiot, Malfoy…?" She didn't give him a chance to respond and she completely _exploded _at him, her sharp, angry voice bouncing off the elegant walls of the large sitting room.

"_HOW THE HELL CAN I SMILE AT YOU? I WILL NOT BE YOUR PERSONAL WHORE, YOU POMPOUS BASTARD! I WILL NEVER LET SOMEONE LIKE YOU TOUCH ME! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!"_

Malfoy's roguishly handsome smile instantly dissolved into a frown at her violent reaction and he didn't get any chance to respond before Harry had screeched and angrily shoved him off her form again, causing the S-4 leader to blink as he stumbled backward a couple of steps away from her.

"What the—why are you so angry, Potter?" Malfoy blinked and tried to step toward her again but Harry was already backing away and heading towards the door with an angry snarl on her face.

Without bothering to answer his question, she hurled all the jewelry she wore to the floor at his feet and glared at him, her green eyes cold as they gazed upon his genuinely confused features.

"This is what I _hate _about jerks like you, Malfoy…" She sighed and looked away from Malfoy's peering eyes again, holding her chin up steadily and walking slowly towards the large double doors.

"You think everything…and _anything _can be bought by your money…Even _people._"

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she paused just as she had opened the door and turned to look at Malfoy one last time. Strangely enough, she was surprised to see that instead of looking angry, he was looking at her as though he was having difficulty understanding what she meant.

"Well I'm telling you now, Draco Malfoy…I will _not _submit myself to you…No matter what you can give me…And I most _certainly _will not be your personal _bitch." _Harry's eyes were bright with her firm resolve as she looked up and stared directly into the dismayed, irritated silver of Malfoy's eyes.

"You're a fool to think that _you…_or the money you offer me…Is what I want in my life…"

For all of his arrogance and self-assurance, the S-4 leader was the perfect picture of child-like confusion and humiliation as Harry stormed out of the room, leaving him staring blankly at the door.

* * *

"S_ome _class wasn't it, Harry…? Professor Snape sure knows exactly how to make us all suffer."

Neville's exasperated voice broke right through Harry's distracted musings as they walked out of their last class for that afternoon, both SSPAM students clutching their books to their chest. The two of them had just finished all of their subjects for the day and were walking slowly along the stretch of student-filled corridors side by side, their light voices mingling with the surrounding chatter.

"You think Snape does it all on purpose just to make our live miserable…?"

It took Harry a couple of seconds to register what the other student had said, however, and she managed to give him a distracted smile, looking up just as they had reached her magical lockers.

"Yeah…I suppose he _does, _Neville…But I can't afford to take any chances with him…Unlike you, I'm only here on scholarship so I _have _to put up with it all." She answered quietly and Neville waited patiently behind her as she got out all the books she needed to study that night from her locker.

He leaned one shoulder on the locker beside hers and crossed one ankle behind the other as he watched her fixing her things, chuckling softly and gesturing to her eyes and slightly longer hair.

"You look good, Harry…Long hair really suits you…And it's good you got rid of your glasses. Is that why you skipped out on our first two subjects this morning? I noticed you got here late."

Unknown to him, Harry inadvertently blanched at his compliment and cringed to herself as she looked back up from her locker, shaking her head and managing to give him a weak, strained smile.

"Er…You could say that, Neville."

It was a quarter past four in the afternoon and by now, Harry had finally gotten over the initial shock she had received that morning when Malfoy had offered her his ridiculous proposal.

Harriet had spent about an _hour _circling the entire Malfoy Manor that morning just so she could find her uniform, return all of the things Malfoy had forced her to wear _and _head back to school.

It was only when she had encountered a house-elf nice enough to lead her around the house did she manage to get away. Luckily, Malfoy didn't follow her after she stormed out and she hadn't caught a glimpse of him or the S-4 for the rest of her day so she was able to get by all her classes with as little stress as possible – only to spend the remainder of it pondering on what happened.

To say the very least, Draco Malfoy both confused and infuriated her immensely.

One day, he had bullying her publicly out in the school lounge and now, here he was offering her the 'opportunity' to be his personal 'call-girl' to be available to each and every one of his demands.

Did he honestly think she was that dumb or stupid enough to agree to such a thing?

Or could it be that he really _was _just screwing around with her just to make her feel like dung?

Either way, she did _not _understand how one could go from bullying to attraction. The only possible and _plausible _conclusion that was coming to mind was that Malfoy was, simply put, _insane._

_ Ugh…Bloody hell…Disgusting jerk…_

"Harry…? Er… I think that pretty second year over there is trying to get your attention." Neville suddenly spoke up, breaking through Harry's thoughts again. Blinking, she turned around quickly and followed Neville's gaze to the end of the hallway, her eyes soon widening in surprise when caught sight of Pansy Parkinson waving meekly at her near the exit doors at the end of the hall.

_Pansy…?_

She stared at the older girl for a minute, a little confused by her attention but soon, Pansy flicked her gaze pointedly over to the exit with a small nod and Harry got the message right away.

Turning back to her locker and rushing to stuff the remainder of her things back into her bag, she quickly closed the doors back shut and looked back up just as Neville began to speak again.

"So…You want to hang out after school or something, Harry…? I know this great place—"

Harry felt a little guilty when she gave him an apologetic smile and shook her head. "Oh…Uhm, maybe tomorrow then, Neville…I just have to go see what Pansy wants." When he looked a little disappointed at that, she followed this up with a light laugh. "How about we hang out tomorrow? I can introduce you to some of my old friends from Hogwarts, I'm sure you'd get along well with them."

The other teen's eyes brightened at that and he smiled uncertainly at her, nodding in agreement. "Sure, I'd like that…So see you tomorrow then?" He looked a little worried when Harry had already begun to follow Pansy out the school and he tried to call out to her again as she walked away.

"Hey, don't you two want a ride or something? My carriage is just outside—"

Harry turned back around one last time and answered him with a smile and shake of her head.

"That's alright, Neville…Thanks!"

Neville opened his mouth to respond but Harry was already racing out the entrance doors.

* * *

The awkward silence between the two girls was so overwhelming that Harry had purposely bought a cupcake from one of the nearby stores they had passed and began munching on it to divert her attention – anything so that she didn't have to stare at Pansy as she waited for her to speak.

Unfortunately, the diversion didn't last long and soon Harry had finished her cupcake and was staring uncomfortably at her shoes again as they walked, their footsteps heavy as they made their way down the long, neatly paved rock road leading to Hogsmeade – the small village near the school.

Pansy hesitated for a minute and glanced uncertainly up at her, meekly folding her hands behind her and biting her lip as she tried to start the conversation. "Uhm…Harry…I…Uhm…Well…"

Another couple minutes of silence followed this attempt and when they had finally reached the entrance to the village and Pansy _still _hadn't been able to say anything, Harry spoke up for her.

"Pansy…Was there…Something you wanted to talk about…?"

The older girl looked a bit startled at the broken silence but soon recovered herself and nodded slowly again, reclasping her hands behind her back. She stopped just as they reached the foot of the bridge leading directly to the village and finally let out a sigh, looking up to meet Harry's gaze.

"Yes…Actually, Harry…I…I just want to…" She took a deep breath again and steadied her shoulders, giving Harry a timid, deeply shameful look. "I just wanted to _apologize_ to you, Harry…"

Harry's eyes widened but she nodded and waited for Pansy to finish.

She took a deep breath again and hung her head in remorse. "I was…_wrong…_to have acted the way I did, the other day…" Pansy looked up again and met her eyes with a guilty wince. "You know…When I avoided you while you were being bullied by the S-4…? It was incredibly selfish of me…"

Shrugging helplessly and lifting her eyes up to Harry's, Pansy gave her a tearful smile.

"The reason you were being bullied by the S-4 in the first place was because you had stood up for me against Malfoy that other day and yet, here I was repaying you by acting like a coward and running away…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to cause any harm. I guess I'm not as brave as you are."

She explained softly, her voice trembling with shame.

"I'm so sorry_…_Thank you for your kindness, Harry. I admire your bravery."

Harry was already feeling a little uneasy throughout Pansy's apology but when the older teen surprised her completely by bursting into tears and hanging her head, she had no idea how to respond. Wincing and biting her lip, Harry managed a weak laugh and patted Pansy gently on the shoulder.

"H—hey…Pans, it's okay…You don't have to beat yourself up over what happened. It wasn't that big a deal, anyway…The situation was complicated and if you had helped me, we _both _would have ended up being bullied so it's okay—" She stopped when Pansy looked up and glared tearfully at her.

"No it _wasn't, _Harry! This whole thing was _my _fault and I should have helped you!" She looked so adamant and angry with herself that Harry surprised her by laughing again and shaking her head.

"Pansy, _seriously…_It's okay…Your reaction was understandable…" Harry offered her a smile again and shrugged, shoving her hands into the pockets of her robes. "Actually…If anything, you don't have to worry about me alright? I can handle those S-4 jerks just fine. It's _you _I'm worried about."

She glanced around the area quickly to make sure none of the other SSPAM students saw them together before looking back at Pansy and giving her a firm but reassuring nod. "You probably shouldn't be hanging around me so much, though…The S-4 might see us and start bullying you too."

Pansy looked as though she was going to protest and shook her head.

"But Harry—"

"I'll be fine, Pansy…I _promise." _Harry smiled at her again and shrugged. "I suppose the best thing I can do at this point is to wait things out until Malfoy gets bored of me and stops…It's fine."

Pansy managed a small smile at her words but she still looked a little uncertain as she looked around them, tensing slightly when she noticed that more and more students were staring at them.

"Harry, a—are you sure—?"

"Positive."

Harry nodded at her in affirmation again and slowly began to back away.

"You shouldn't be seen with me this long, Pans…I'd better get on home—" She stopped and froze in confusion when Pansy suddenly grabbed her arm and gasped, staring intently at something over her shoulder. Blinking, Harry arched an eyebrow and quickly followed the other girl's gaze.

"What? What is it—"

Pansy's eyes were wide and her face had taken on a slightly dreamy expression as she pointed to something over Harry's shoulder, leaning down slightly so she could whisper discreetly into her ear.

"H—Harry, look…One of the _S-4…"_

At the wistful tone of the other girl's voice, Harry thought Pansy meant Malfoy and almost panicked but when she turned around, she was surprised to see that the dark-cloaked, solitary figure standing near the front of the village Pansy was staring at was _not _Malfoy but was _Blaise Zabini. _

_Oh…Him._

Harry colored immediately and tried to keep the nervousness from showing on her face as she watched him, noting with mild surprise that Zabini was without the company of his friends and was more focused on staring intently at a large, magical poster situated near the entrance of the village.

_And he's…alone?_

She blinked at the observation and watched curiously as Zabini continued to stare up at the large poster positioned just several meters in front of him in avid fascination. His eyes were hidden by the dark hat that had been pulled over his face but Harry could tell easily that he was concentrated on the picture in front of him – if only by the tranquil way he was leaning against a nearby lamp post.

To Harry, the Zabini Heir was the very image of a lone, brooding prince that afternoon – looking so effortlessly handsome in his gray trench coat and light blue scarf that she couldn't help staring at him for a little while longer, inadvertently causing Pansy to nudge her to get her attention.

_"Harry!"_

The black-haired girl nearly jumped as she was startled out of her staring and blushed when she met Pansy's questioning gaze again. Reddening further when she saw Pansy smirking at her, she ignored the older girl's teasing laughter and turned slowly towards Zabini again. Then, taking a deep breath for courage, Harry bit her lip and began to walk towards him with shaky, uneven footsteps.

Thankfully, the Italian Heir didn't notice anything and didn't protest at her sudden intrusion when she stopped directly behind him. Her hands fidgeted impatiently behind her back and she was biting her lip as she did this, mentally debating with herself if she was going to talk to him or not.

Finally, after a long series of awkward glances back at Pansy, Harry took a deep breath and cleared her throat, causing Zabini to start for a minute and turn around slowly to meet her eyes.

The minute those dark blue orbs rested on her, Harry felt her cheeks flame up again.

"Uhm…Hi…Er…"

Zabini blinked and stared at her for a long moment, his expression mildly curious as he inspected her shaking form from head to toe. She paled even further at this and tried to hide the way her hands were shaking by twisting her fingers up together behind her with a soft, nervous laugh.

She gulped but managed a shaky smile at him, hoping to Merlin he couldn't hear the nervous pounding of her heart against her chest. "I, uh…I'm not sure if you remember me…Blaise…I'm—"

To her surprise, Zabini arched a single eyebrow at her but one corner of his lips had lifted into an amused smile. "I know who you are, Potter…You're the feisty first year who punched Draco."

Harry flushed at his association of her with that stunt but she passed it off with a forced laugh. "Yeah…That was me. I'm uh…" She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I actually just came over here to thank you for…Well…The other day…You know…"

Zabini looked a little confused and listened intently to her, causing her to blush darker and rush to clarify her words. "I mean… When you saved me the other day…From Crabbe and Goyle."

The confusion etched onto his handsome face cleared at her words and his lips curled again into a small smile. Still silent, he turned and slowly trailed his eyes back to the picture in front of them.

Finally certain that he wasn't going to push her away or have her bullied for standing too close to him, Harry's shoulders finally relaxed and she allowed a smile of her own as she stared at him. From up close, Blaise Zabini looked just as handsome as he appeared in her daydreams – only this time, his eyes lacked the usual coldness they usually emanated and were strangely peaceful instead – soft and almost pensive as they gazed on the large poster that was situated right in front of them.

_He looks almost…Happy like this…_Harry's eyes softened as she stared into his face and she was so caught up then in her admiration of his features that she almost failed to hear him speak up.

"She's beautiful, isn't she…?"

"…Huh…?" Blinking herself rapidly out of her self-induced trance, Harry shook her head to clear the dazed look in her eyes and brought her gaze up to meet Zabini's small, playful smirk. He arched a single eyebrow again and flicked his eyes back pointedly to the poster he had been staring at.

A little embarrassed at having been caught staring at him like a silly little girl, she tried to hide the blush on her face as she followed his gaze, blinking in surprise moments later when she saw who he was talking about. The poster near the entrance of the village was so large that she had to tilt her head up to see it but she immediately recognized the beautiful blonde model displayed right on it.

Without thinking, she smiled to herself and gazed up at the girl in genuine admiration.

"Oh…Yes, she is… That's _Fleur Delacour…_She's _incredibly _beautiful…She looks like an angel, doesn't she?" She sighed blissfully to herself and turned to Zabini again to give him a small grin.

"She's my role model; actually…I promised myself that I would try to be like her one day…"

His expression changed and he turned his head briefly to stare at her but she didn't notice.

"She's beautiful…intelligent…kind…Independent…Everything I could only _hope _to be."

Harry smiled sadly to herself again and let her eyes glaze over in deep thought.

"Did you know that she's only three years older than us…? She graduated valedictorian of SSPAM in her year and is currently studying International Law in France. She's the only daughter to her family's corporation and yet, she chose to give it all away so she can be her own person and live her own life…She was actually one of the main reasons I wanted to go to SSPAM, you know…"

Laughing to herself and belatedly realizing just exactly how much she must have been babbling on about Fleur to Zabini, Harry shook her head at herself in exasperated embarrassment.

"I'm sorry…I must sound like such a fan girl to you right now but I—" She paused and turned around to look at him again but to her utter dismay, the minute she had moved her head to the side to face him, she let out a startled meep – noticing for the first time that the Zabini Heir had moved unnervingly close towards her and that his handsome face was now mere _inches _away from her own.

"U—uhm…Zabini…?"

Without realizing it, Harry let out a strangled squeak anyway when Zabini leaned down even closer towards her and seemed to be staring intently at a spot near the corner of her mouth. His dark eyes were concentrated so intently on her lips and his face was so outrageously close to hers that she was almost afraid he was going to kiss her but that thought was soon extinguished when he spoke up.

"You have…a smudge of…chocolate on your lips…" He blinked once and calmly used a single finger to wipe away the smudge of chocolate from her lips, unknowingly causing the younger teen to flush even darker and jerk her face away from his so fast that she hit her head against the lamp post.

_**THUNK!**_

"Owwww…"

Blushing horribly and her face scrunched up into a humiliated grimace, Harry clutched at the forming bruise at the back of her head and meekly looked back up at him – horrified to see that Zabini's expression remained completely blank as he watched her with one of his eyebrows raised.

"You okay…?"

"Peachy."

"Potter—"

"I'll see you around, Zabini."

Before Zabini could even blink, a thoroughly red-faced Harry had already whirled around and scampered back to where Pansy was waiting for her nearby – all but wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her whole so she didn't have to face the humiliation she inflicted onto herself.

When Harry didn't realize, however, was that as she and Pansy hurried away, Blaise Zabini was still staring at her retreating back – his lips twitching with genuine, unmistakable laughter.

* * *

**A/N:** I liked this chapter. It had two of my favorite scenes in the TV adaptation of HYD. And it's so fun to show the differences of the interactions Harry has with the different guys of S-4. :D

To answer some questions, _yes _Harry will be dating Blaise sometime in the story but _no, _she will not sleep with him. Sorry but I cannot and _will _not write any other romantic scene other than D/H. :P

**Next Chapter:** Theodore Nott & Viktor Krum

You guys want more? Need your opinions and feedback, mmkay? **PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks! :D**


	7. Theodore Nott & Viktor Krum

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** I decided to update this first before I updated Phoenix Tears. My next few updates will probably focus on Phoenix Tears for a while though so hope you all enjoy this till then! :D

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Theodore Nott & Viktor Krum**

Yawning softly, Harry blinked lazily and she literally had to drag her feet across the school corridors that morning as she made her way towards her classroom. As expected, she got her usual glares and whispers from the other SSPAM students that day but she was used to it by now and she ignored them easily, rolling her eyes and lazily adjusting her bag strap over her shoulder.

_Ugh…So sleepy…Why did I schedule my classes so early in the morning?_ She complained irritably to herself, rubbing her eyes in exasperation. She passed by the school entrance as she made her way to her locker and glanced briefly toward it, blinking when she met a familiar pair of eyes.

Having just arrived that morning and alighting gracefully from a luxurious, lavender-colored carriage, Pansy Parkinson looked up just as her private house-elf had handed her bag to her and met Harry's gaze with a slightly surprised look. At their shared, awkward gaze, the older girl looked a little uncomfortable at first but then, Harry shook her head and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

At this, the tension on her face drained away immediately and Pansy immediately smiled back, her eyes lighting up in genuine warmth. Waving discreetly to avoid having their interaction seen by the other nearby students. Harry nodded before turning away and continuing on to her next class.

She was ignorant that Pansy's eyes were following her retreating back, however, and stopped just as she reached the end of the corridor, her eyes riveting to the nearby corridor that led to the tower she had encountered Blaise Zabini for the first time. Blinking several times and debating with herself whether she had enough time or not, Harry shook her head at herself but headed for the tower anyway, wincing when she heard her own voice shouting warningly at her from her head.

_Potter, what are you doing? He probably won't even be there! Get to class!_

Harry blushed but ignored this and pushed through the doors leading to the tower, her footsteps unmistakably cheerful as she began to walk faster. Pausing briefly just outside the door leading to the topmost of the floor, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart.

_Okay…Just take a deep breath and pretend you just wanted some fresh air._

Blushing even darker and taking another breath of air, Harry nodded firmly to herself before she finally pushed through the doors. She was surprised – and admittedly disappointed – however, when she instantly noticed that the Italian Heir was nowhere to be found and that the tower was completely empty save for her. Nothing but the sounds of her own heart beating and her nervous breaths could be heard as she walked towards the railing overlooking the entire SSPAM campus.

Most of the other SSPAM students were still arriving that morning and from where she stood, Harry watched them alighting from their carriages one by one from the school entrance. She caught sight of few familiar faces arriving – her classmates and the Terrible Trio walking into the school.

_Hmm…It's almost 9AM. Figures these rich kids wouldn't bother with punctuality. _

Harry scowled at the thought and rolled her eyes in resentment.

_These pureblooded brats probably don't understand the meaning of hard work anyway._

Sighing, she was just about to turn back around to head back inside the building when a soft, chuckling voice suddenly broke through the silence and caused her to jump in utter surprise.

"You really _are _too stubborn for your own good, aren't you Potter?"

Stiffening and blushing darkly because she recognized immediately who had spoken, Harry bit her lip and turned sharply to her side, her eyes widening as they met Blaise Zabini's handsome smirk. He looked at her then, one of his eyebrows arching up slowly in question as he waited for her reply.

It took her several seconds to process his words, however, and when she finally did, Harry's eyebrows fused together in confusion. She blinked and stared at him, giving him a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

Zabini's smirk transformed into a small smile then and he chuckled at her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his expensive suede jacket and walking over to stand beside her by the railings. Looking out at the school campus, he paused for several seconds before he answered her question.

"I meant…I told you before when we first met that I didn't want to see you here…You really _don't _listen to anyone else and do whatever you want…? Are you that reckless, Potter…?" He asked softly and under normal circumstances, Harry might have taken his words as an angry threat.

However, the teasing mirth she heard in his voice dampened that thought and instead of feeling intimidated by it, she blushed and managed an embarrassed laugh at his words. "Oh…Well…I apologize. I think it skipped my mind…Does it really bother you that much? I can leave if you—"

Zabini surprised her again when he laughed at her words and shook his head, raising one of his hands and running it briefly through his dark black strands. Without realizing it, Harry's eyes widened in blissful admiration again and they automatically flicked up to his hair as he did this.

Fortunately, he didn't notice the change in her expression and he moved his gaze up to stare into the distance. His rested his hands on the railing in front of them and smiled quietly to himself for several minutes before finally turning to meet her eyes again, his dark blue eyes bright with mirth.

"I _could _tell you that I don't like you sharing this tower with me…That'd be my prerogative of course…But then again, would you listen to me if I did that?" He asked with a smirk and at this, Harry couldn't help laughing and answering his teasing grin with a slightly sheepish one of her own.

"Probably not."

Zabini chuckled again and merely gave her a nod of consent before he leaned back on the railing and stared up at the sky again. A little encouraged by his more positive reception of her that morning, Harry tried to move closer towards him and followed his gaze up at the white clouds.

"So…Er…Zabini—"

"Call me _Blaise."_

She blinked at the unexpected response but felt a burst of giddy happiness in her chest at his allowing of her to call him by his first name. Biting her lip to keep from smiling, Harry nodded.

"Very well…Uhm…_Blaise—_" Harry felt her cheeks redden when she realized that she liked the way his name sounded coming from her lips. "—do you spend a lot of your time up here?"

Blaise looked a little amused at her question and lazily arched an eyebrow again before turning his face to the side to look at her. She met his curious gaze easily but had to bite down on her lip again to avoid showing her nervousness. Then, shrugging, Blaise answered her with a brief nod.

"I go here whenever I want to be alone…I like the silence every now and then."

Nodding and managing a shaky smile, Harry forced herself to think of another question.

"I see…Uhm…So…You're a…_quiet _person huh…?"

The question sounded completely lame and stupid to her own ears and she felt even more of a complete idiot when Blaise's only reaction was to blink once and turn back to stare at the sky.

"…"

Wishing she could slap herself and melt onto the floor, Harry turned away quickly so he couldn't see her face. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she had just about decided to leave quickly so she could get to class when Blaise spoke up again, drawing her attention to his strange question.

"Do you…know the time difference from here to France…?"

Blinking and a little confused by this, Harry flicked her eyes up and gave him a blank stare.

"Er…Time difference…? You mean…What time would it be now in…_France?_"

Blaise turned to look at her again and answered with a solemn nod, his eyes focusing intently on her face as he waited for her answer. She felt a little uncomfortable at his intense, scrutinizing stare but she managed a nervous laugh again and checked the magical watch on her wrist.

"O—oh…Well…It's 9AM now…And if I'm not mistaken…We're about…an hour ahead of France so it should be 8AM there right now." She shrugged and looked up to meet Blaise's eyes. "Why do you ask? Are you planning to go to France or something?" She asked curiously but he just shook his head.

"Just curious…"

Though she could sense that there was more to his answer than just that, Harry let the matter drop anyway and she turned back to look at the clouds in silence. As she did this, Blaise glanced at his own wrist watch and fused his eyebrows together in deep thought as he considered her answer.

"So…Since it's 9:15AM now…It should be…"

Harry glanced back at him and gave him a small smile.

"It should be 8:15AM in France right now—" As soon as she heard her own words, her sentence ended in a sharp gasp and she glanced back at her watch again in panic. "—9:15AM! Bloody hell, it's past 9, I'm late for class! Snape will have me beheaded!" She didn't even bother waiting for Blaise to respond as she grabbed her bag off the ground again and began to fumble for her books.

The Italian Heir watched her briefly with an amused smirk.

Harry snapped her head back up and answered him with a cringing, apologetic smile.

"I—I have to go, Blaise…See you around!"

Before Blaise got the chance to say anything else, Harry was already bounding down the stairs in a frantic rush, her footsteps echoing in the distance as she left the Italian Heir to his own thoughts.

* * *

"Neville, _relax! _They're just my friends, don't be so jumpy!"

Harry could see the awkward tension written all over Neville's face as she led him to the entrance of the Three Broomsticks for lunchtime a little later on that same day. The other teen was blushing horribly and was adjusting his SSPAM necktie over and over again as he followed her in.

"I can't help it, Harry…This is the first time I'm meeting people outside of SSPAM's crowd!" He tried not to let his genuine amazement show as Harry pulled him inside the small, homey restaurant. Almost immediately, Harry was greeted by the warm smiles of her friends as she entered and she grinned and waved back, her eyes riveting over to where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were seated.

"Hey guys!" She smiled at them before turning back to Neville, almost laughing when she saw the fascination on the rich teen's face as he surveyed the restaurant with wide, unblinking eyes.

He looked like he was torn between surprise and hesitation but Harry didn't wait for this expression to clear before she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to where her friends were seated. Ron and Hermione, having been informed about Neville, smiled easily at him while Ginny began to eye the other teen in genuine interest, her blue eyes taking in his expensive clothes.

Ignoring his sister's expression, Ron rolled his eyes and scooted over to give Harry space.

"Hey Mate…What took you so long? We were going to order without you." He pretended to glare at her in impatience but Harry just made a face and playfully stuck her tongue back at him.

"You have to stop eating _sometime, _Ron. You should be thanking me." She smirked at Ron's answering glare and Hermione's giggle at her quip. Ginny, however, just continued to look at Neville as he sat down beside her and as though to signal her, the redheaded girl glared pointedly at Harry.

"Harry…Don't be rude…Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend from SSPAM?"

The underlying intention was obvious and at her rather wide smile at Neville, Ron, Harry and Hermione all rolled their eyes and shared an amused smirk with each other. With a helpless sigh, Harry shrugged and gestured Neville's attention to Ginny across the table with a shake of her head.

"Neville…This is my good friend, Ginny Weasley…Ginny, this is Neville Longbottom…He's my classmate in SSPAM. We met the other day." She noticed the way Ginny's eyes had widened at her recognition of the teen's name – 'Longbottom' – no doubt from all the society magazines she's read.

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled warmly at Neville, reaching a hand over to him across the table. "Longbottom? Are you from _the _Longbottoms, Neville? Owner of all those export companies?"

Neville looked a little embarrassed at her recognition of him but he nodded anyway and, true to his breeding, responded to Ginny's gesture by leaning down and giving the back of her hand a kiss.

"Actually, those are my father's companies…But yeah, they're ours…" His cheeks reddened slightly when he saw the simultaneous looks of surprise on Ron, Harry and Hermione's faces. "Er…My family is actually what older purebloods would call 'New Money' in our social class…Probably because of the fact that we only got rich quite recently. When my father built his company from scratch."

Harry looked impressed at his admission of that and she smiled encouragingly at him. "That's really impressive, Neville…In all honesty, I think you're better than those 'Old Money' folks then." She followed her comment up with a shrug before gesturing over the waitress for that afternoon.

"Besides, whoever these 'old money' people are, I'm sure they're all old stuffy blokes—"

Neville laughed at her comment and gave her a pointed look.

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't call your father an old, stuffy bloke, would you?"

At her surprised look, he continued. "James Potter was from one of the older pureblood families…_'Old Money' _folk as you say…As well as other families like the _Blacks, _the _Zabinis, _and the _Malfoys, _of course. In fact, you'd be surprised to learn that the _Krums_ and _Notts _are 'New Money' too."

Harry looked genuinely interested and she wanted to ask more about the legacy of her father's family again but apparently, Ginny had grown bored of the conversation and changed the topic.

Ignoring Hermione's warning glare at her, she reached across the table again and purposely placed her hand over Neville's in a seemingly friendly gesture. "You'll have to excuse my friend Harry here, Neville…She's not really that well-informed about elite society—" Harry looked as though she was going to protest at this but Ginny continued. "—so tell us more about yourself, Neville."

Neville looked a little confused at all the attention on him and when Ginny looked as though she was going to ask again, Hermione relented and finally decided to help the teen out. "What Ginny means, Neville…Is…Where are you from? From which Intermediary school did you come from?" She asked warmly, nodding at Harry when the black-haired teen gave her a grateful smile for her efforts.

The question seemed to relax Neville somewhat and he returned Hermione's smile.

"Like most SSPAM students now, I graduated from Durmstrang for Intermediary School." He blinked and looked at Hermione with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name—?"

_"Hermione." _ The brunette supplied for him again, laughing when Neville blushed again.

"Sorry…I'm bad with names…Er…" He turned to Ron and winced. "And your name is—"

Unlike Hermione, Ron looked a little irritated at this. "_Ron, _mate…Ron Weasley…" He looked to Neville's right and met Harry's amused smirk with a pointed glare. "Harry, if introductions are quite over, I'd like to eat lunch now. I have Quidditch practice in about an hour and I don't want to be late."

Harry and Hermione both rolled their eyes at this but complied by gesturing to the waitress again and pretty soon, all four teenagers had ordered their lunch and began talking amongst themselves. Not surprisingly, Ginny spent most of the time asking Neville more and more personal questions and it took Harry and Hermione's occasional interruptions to keep the boy comfortable.

Pretty soon, once their orders had been served and the teens were conversing as one big group again, Ginny shocked them all by opening up a somewhat controversial topic. Her eyes had flicked over to the table situated near the very end of the restaurant and she gave Harry a smirk.

"Hey…Har…Check it out, I didn't realize Cedric was in here…" She ignored the way Harry's cheeks had flushed in awkward embarrassment and turned to Neville with a pointed smile.

Neville raised an eyebrow and looked from Ginny to Hermione in question.

"Who's Cedric?"

Hermione tried to open her mouth to answer but Ginny had already beaten her to it.

"He's Harriet's boyfriend—"

"_EX-_boyfriend." Harry corrected succinctly, her eyes narrowing at Ginny in warning.

"Same difference." Ginny giggled and glanced over at Cedric again with a dreamy smile. "He's still really handsome though isn't he, Harry? I wonder why you let him go…He's such a catch."

Harry snorted derisively and began to stuff her mouth with bites of her sandwich.

"Then _you _date him, Ginny."

Ron looked amused at the direction the conversation had taken but Hermione gave Ginny a disapproving glare. "Ginny, I don't think it's proper to talk about Cedric like that in front of Harry—"

"What happened? Why did you break up with him?" Neville suddenly interrupted with a curious smile at Harry and at the teen's sudden interest, Harry flushed in embarrassment and glared at him.

"I'd rather not say—"

Ginny smirked widely at her and moved her eyebrows up and down.

"So…Did you sleep with him?"

Harry's face must have burned as red as the pleated skirt of Hermione's MUGG uniform.

"I did _NOT!"_

Her fierce reaction startled the three other teens immensely and they all jumped in their seats – only to burst out into simultaneous sniggers when they saw the way Harry was cringing in horror.

"Merlin, Harry…You just got a new make-over and already I hear stuff like this?" Ron suddenly joined the teasing in the middle of eating his lunch, earning a disgruntled glare from his best friend.

He pretended not to see her, however, and continued teasing her as he bit into his chicken.

"And here I thought I was your best friend and you thought of me like a _brother._ Tsktsk."

Even Hermione seemed to be having trouble hiding a smile after having witnessed Harry's violent reaction and her smile was met with an even fiercer glare at them from the black-haired teen across the table. Instead of helping his new friend out, Neville just smiled and shrugged at them.

"I don't know Harry that well yet so I wouldn't know if she's that kind of—"

Harry instantly rounded on him and growled. "I did _NOT _sleep with Cedric, okay? I have never slept with anyone yet in my entire life! I am and _will _never be that kind of girl!" She sat up even straighter to emphasize her point, never noticing her friends' eyes had widened in shock and were now staring at the two cloaked figures that had just walked through the entrance behind her.

"Uhm…Harry—" His face pale, Neville's hand shook as he tried to get Harry's attention.

"I'll have you all know that I am _STILL _a proud, blushing and _innocent_ _VIRGIN!_"

All three other teens looked as though they were torn between laughing and gaping.

"A blushing, innocent virgin, eh…? That sounds inviting…Is that an offer, Potter?"

The voice had sounded vaguely familiar but Harry doubted that she had heard it tinged with so much laughter before and as she turned around slowly, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. There, having just walked through the entrance of the small restaurant, stood none other than _Theodore Nott _and _Viktor Krum, _both wizards looking as handsome as ever as they smiled at her.

As their usual attire goes, the two most notorious playboys of S-4 looked nothing short of gorgeous that day – with expensive cloaks adorning their trim frames and gel styled into their hair. Krum's dark brown hair had been styled into a nice, mussed-up look on the top of his head while Nott had gone with the neater approach and had gelled his dark blonde hair into short, tipped spikes.

They had stopped just directly in front of their table and were now watching Harry with an amused expression in their eyes. Observably, their presence drew the attention of more than half of the room's female population and they all stared, almost drooling over the two boys in adoration.

_Oh for the love of Merlin…_Harry rolled her eyes when she had turned and realized that even Ginny and Hermione couldn't help staring at Nott and Krum with wide-eyed, admiring glances.

_What are they even doing here?_

From the looks of things, it appeared as though it had been Krum who had made that little comment to Harry and the Bulgarian Heir rewarded her with a very handsome, flirtatious smile.

"A pleasant afternoon to you, Potter…" He ignored the way Ginny was practically salivating now as she stared at him and watched as Theodore took a step even closer towards Harry. The black-haired teen stiffened at their nearing presence but she was unable to protest when Krum took one of her hands and smirked at her, bending down slowly to place a suave kiss onto the back of her palm.

Neville had paled considerably at the two boys' arrival and looked on the verge of running away but when Theodore Nott followed after Krum and kissed Harry's hand as well, the two S-4 members noticed his presence there for the first time and Neville was pinned firmly into place.

"Oh hello, Longbottom…I never expected to see you here…How're you doing?" Nott raised an eyebrow and smirked when he noticed the way Neville had stiffened at his innocent question.

"_F—fine, _Nott."

Nott looked thoroughly amused at his uneasiness but before he said anything, Krum had spoken up again, directing everyone's attention once more to the blush that lingered on Harry's face.

"So…Blushing, innocent virgin…Theo and I were wondering if we could whisk you away from your friends for just a few moments to talk…We won't take much of your time, we promise." He smiled innocently at her after that, causing Harry's blush to darken even more at his strangely friendly tone.

She opened her mouth to answer him but Nott followed this up with another comment.

"And don't worry, we won't defile your virginity or anything…We just want to talk…" He chuckled at her indignant expression and gestured to one of the empty tables behind them. "How about we sit over there so that your friends can keep an eye on you…? How does that sound?"

Harry looked as though she was going to reject their offer but that was when Hermione had suddenly cut her off and spoke up loudly, flicking her gaze over to silence Ginny with a quiet glare.

"Harry wouldn't mind! Wouldn't you, Harry…?" She nudged Ron when he had made a move to protest and shook her head at Ginny again when the other girl looked like she wanted to join in.

"Harry, if you'd like…I could go with you to keep you company—"

"Ginny, stay _put._"

Ginny pouted at the warning tone in Hermione's voice but couldn't say anything else as Hermione literally yanked Harry up from her seat and shoved her towards the two smirking boys.

Harry's eyes had widened to the size of saucers now and she looked at Hermione as though the brunette had lost her mind. "Hermione, what are you doing? I can't go with them! They're—"

Ron stood up and tried to side with Harry, his eyes flashing as he eyed the two S-4 members in growing dislike. "I agree with Harry on this one, 'Mione…I don't trust these two jerks one bit—"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione shushed both her best friends and turned to Krum with a smile.

"If you only mean to talk with Harry, we'll keep a close watch on her from here…Is that okay?"

Krum looked amused at her efforts and nodded slowly, giving her a curious grin.

"Like we said…We wouldn't dream of defiling this blushing, innocent virgin in any way."

Harry's eyes flashed again and Neville had to hold her back to keep from punching him.

"Would you _STOP _calling me that, you disgusting, perverted prick—"

Nott began laughing and walked over to take Harry's arm from Neville's grasp, smirking again when the black-haired girl's initial reaction to him was to yank her arm away in utter disdain.

"I can walk myself to that remarkably _far _table, thanks Nott." She spat out sarcastically and after she patted Neville on the arm to let her ago, she reluctantly followed after the two with a scowl.

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny all watched – the latter teen with a twinge of envy in her eyes – as the two boys, like they had promised, led Harry over to the table near the other end of the restaurant. When it looked as though Krum was going to pull her chair back for her, Harry clenched her jaw in irritation and purposely took the seat across from the chair he had been reaching for.

"So what's this all about? What did I do to deserve your attention on me _this _time?"

Krum looked a little irritated at her stunt but again Nott had laughed at her impertinence and took the seat across from her, purposely flipping it backward and sitting down so that his arms were resting against the backrest of the chair. Krum took the seat beside his and once both boys were seated and were reaching casually for the menu as though nothing had happened, Harry snapped.

"_Well?_ What do you two want? Excuse me for not wanting to view this as your ordinary lunch date! I'd like to get back to my friends as quickly as possible, if you two jerks don't mind!"

Nott smiled at her and answered her irritated retort with a flirtatious wink.

"You wound me terribly, virgin girl…Do you not enjoy our company like this? After all, it's not everyday you get to sit down and have lunch with _two _members of the popular S-4—"

Harry snorted derisively and answered him by crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh I apologize then, Nott…" She answered him sarcastically and at her tone of voice, both boys looked up and stared at her again. "But frankly, spending my time with a jerk who likes to sleep around with older women and another who's a notorious playboy is not something I find flattering."

Nott, to Harry's great annoyance, just smiled at her again and shook his head to himself.

"Well now…That just won't do, will it…? Allow us to introduce ourselves to you more properly, Potter…If I may do the honors." He glanced briefly at Krum before turning back to Harry again. "I'm Theodore…Heir of Nott Enterprises, the largest chain of underground businesses around the world."

Harry just raised an eyebrow at him and spared him no amount of expression on her face.

"You mean _illegal _businesses."

He grinned at her. "Same thing…" He quipped with a shrug, leaning back against his seat and folding his arms languidly over his chest. "The business was started by my great grandfather you see, so we're still on the verge of expanding right now and we're moving along very fast, I might add."

"Congratulations to you." Was Harry's only deadpan, clearly uninterested response.

Nott chuckled again. "Thank you. Now Viktor here…_His _family owns practically all of Europe's Quidditch teams right now and is the top manufacturer of wizard's brooms worldwide…" He paused and took a careful sip of water. "Their business started a generation earlier than mine did by his great, great grandfather. Viktor's also captain and seeker of Bulgaria's International League right now."

"From his _own _talent?" Harry asked bluntly and she saw the way Viktor's eyes had flashed in irritation at her implied insult. Nott answered her instead, flicking a quelling gaze at his friend.

"Viktor is the _best _Quidditch player in all of Europe, Potter…It's in his blood. His father has trained him since he was five, you see…In fact, their family is so big on Quidditch that they even have elite schools around Europe that offer to train people to be International Quidditch players."

"Play any Quidditch yourself, Potter…?"

Harry looked surprised at Krum addressing her but she scowled to herself in thought. She had been seeker of her team back at Hogwarts Intermediary but she wasn't about to reveal that to them.

"Yeah…I know a bit, Krum…"

The Bulgarian Heir smirked at her and merely nodded his assent.

"Touché."

Nott leaned back against his seat and tapped his chin in thought.

"Hmm…I think the Malfoys are looking to expand into the Education industry too. Lately, Uncle Lucius has been trying to find a parselmouth to teach their family how to speak to snakes… I think they want to start offering special schools for the elite to teach the language." He mused but by now, Harry was no longer listening and was more content on playing with her utensils on the table.

Krum turned to Nott and shook his head before answering his comment with a frown.

"He hasn't been successful though… I don't think there are any more parselmouths left."

"How _fascinating…_" Harry droned flatly and before either of them could bore her any further, she looked up again and met both their smirks with an impatient glare. "Now that introductions are over…Would you both mind telling me why you're here?" She asked, her voice curt and a bit rude.

Again, Harry saw the evident way Krum looked annoyed at her outbursts but before he said anything, Nott answered her question again and looked up from the menu with a handsome grin.

"Calm yourself, virgin girl…Viktor and I just wanted to try the lunch dishes you have here…Your adoptive family owns this restaurant, do they not?" He turned back to the menu and flipped a page. "How quaint…Do you not serve drinks in here? I think I'd like a glass of champagne."

Harry blinked and looked as him as though he was crazy.

"It's only _12:30_, Nott."

He shrugged at her, flipping another page of the menu in growing disdain.

"Never too early for a good glass of champagne…Oh, and call me Theo, Potter…"

She sneered at him, her eyes narrowing in contempt.

"Why bother?"

Theodore ignored her response and looked up again to give Viktor a grin.

"Nothing here but common food…What are you getting, Viktor? See anything worth trying?" He noticed the glare Harry was shooting him and rewarded her with another charming grin.

"Oh excuse our manners, virgin girl…Feel free to order _whatever_ you want in _whatever _quantity that may be…Everything is on us." He told her but she just blushed at his remark again.

"Seriously, _stop _calling me that!"

Theodore smirked at her reaction, his bright blue eyes twinkling with teasing mirth.

"Why? That's what you said you were, right…?"

She looked mortified at his comment and ducked her head down to hide her blush.

"Unlike the two of you, my 'sex life status' is not something I want spread around."

The corner of Theodore's lips twitched and he raised an eyebrow teasingly at her.

"And what would _you _know about our 'sex life status' then, virgin girl…?"

Harry's head ducked down even lower and they had to strain to hear her embarrassed answer.

"More than I'd like, actually…I think you're both disgusting pigs."

Theodore chuckled again at her mumbled retort but before he said anything, Krum finally spoke up again and glanced at Harry with narrowed eyes before glaring back pointedly at Theodore.

"Virgin is right…This girl needs to get laid, she's way too uptight for her own good."

Theodore burst out into sniggers at that while Harry sputtered in angry indignation.

"Who asked _YOU—"_

"It's no wonder Draco likes her…" Krum's lips twitched into a smirk and he continued talking to Theodore as though Harry hadn't spoken. "She reminds me a less mean but equally loud, stubborn, female version of him…Certainly irritates me the same way Draco does, that's for sure." He finally glanced at Harry after he had said this and raised an eyebrow at her, eyeing her in sudden realization.

"Actually…She's a little bit like Callista, isn't she?"

Harry slammed her fist impatiently onto the table.

"Stop talking about me as though I'm not here, Krum—"

Theodore glanced at Harry again and grinned in agreement.

"Yeah, I suppose she does…With the way she just punched Draco in the face like that."

Harry finally forgot about her anger and looked between the two of them in confusion.

"Who's Callista?" She asked and Krum smirked at her, taking a sip from his glass of water.

"Draco's older sister…She's older than us by five years…Draco looks up to her a lot. Unfortunately, she got married to a business tycoon two years ago so he hardly gets to see her now."

Harry looked surprised at the idea of Malfoy having a sister but Krum continued. "Callista is an incredibly spirited woman…Undeniably beautiful but very headstrong with her beliefs. She was the only person that Draco listened to and she usually punched him whenever he was out of line."

"You actually remind us of her very much, Potter." Theodore added as an afterthought after Krum had spoken but his words accomplished nothing but make Harry redden in confusion.

"I don't understand what you two are hinting at…" Her eyes narrowed and she focused her attention on Krum again, suddenly leaning back against the backrest of her chair. "Why did you come here, anyway? What did you two want to talk about that you had to follow me all the way here?"

Krum and Theodore met each other's slightly amused looks for a minute before they both turned back to look at her. The former tried to speak first and he took another sip of his water.

"Call me _Viktor, _Harry…And we didn't come here to cause trouble—"

"You should have thought of that before you gave me _this._" She indicated to the ugly Dark Mark that was still marring her skin and at her interruption, Viktor clenched his jaw in irritation again.

"I really _hate _these types of girls...Too damn hard to deal with..." He drawled to Theodore and the other boy smirked calmly, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder before continuing his sentence for him. "What Viktor wanted to say, _virgin girl, _is that we just came here to check you out."

Harry's eyebrows almost disappeared into her scalp in shock but Theodore corrected himself quickly. "By 'check you out', we mean…We wanted to get to know you a little more…You see…" He scratched at the back of his head and laughed with a light shrug. "You're the _first _girl that Draco has shown actual interest towards…True that the interest was animosity at first given that he gave you the Dark Mark and all but _still_, it was the _first _time that Draco has shown _any _kind of interest in a girl."

She was stunned speechless at his comment so Viktor spoke up again.

"You see, Potter…Draco has _never _been interested in girls before…Surprisingly enough, since a lot of girls are obviously interested in _him. _You're the first girl he's ever bothered with this much."

Harry's stunned expression slowly melted into that of a disbelieving scoff.

"And I'm supposed to think he gave me this mark because he _likes _me? I find it particularly hard to believe that being around playboys like you, Malfoy has never had any girls before—"

Theodore and Viktor both chuckled and shook their heads, both boys looking thoroughly amused at her misunderstanding. They leaned back against their seats and smirked at her.

"Don't get us wrong, Potter…Draco has been with _tons _of girls…Dozens, to say the least…But never a girlfriend…He's always regarded them more of a bother than anything else." Viktor told her and Theodore soon added to that. "Girls have always bored and disgusted him. Simple as that."

"_We_, on the other hand, _love_ women." Viktor quickly pitched in after him with a wink.

Rolling her eyes at them, Harry answered with a shrug and a blunt smirk.

"Maybe Malfoy's gay."

Theodore ended up laughing at that while even Viktor couldn't help smirking at her comment, shaking his head and running a hand through his dark hair. "If he still hadn't shown any interest in a girl by the age of twenty five, we probably _would _have come to that conclusion…But then he met _you."_

He chuckled at her disgruntled expression again and waited until she had processed his words.

"Okay…So what exactly is this all about and why am I involved in it?"

Theodore and Viktor smirked at her again and the former of which answered her question.

"We're just here to see how things turn out, Potter…We're rather interested in what's going to happen." He told her lightly, looking up and chuckling when he caught several girls staring at him.

Harry felt a surge of irritation at his words and she clenched her hands into fists again.

"And what do you think I am, a source of entertainment?" She shoved her chair backwards and made to stand back up in indignation. "I want _nothing _to do with Malfoy or any of you!"

She hurled the menu back at Theodore's direction and gave him a disgusted look, all the while ignoring the way the older teen had begun to laugh again and nudged Viktor with a pointed smirk. "See? What did I tell you, the girl's pure entertainment! This is definitely something worth watching."

Viktor raised an eyebrow as he looked up and met the angry, blushing scowl set onto her face.

"We have nothing personal against you, virgin girl…We're just the innocent spectators."

Harry shook her head and finally stood up as she prepared to leave and walk back over to where she knew her friends were still watching them. "I don't know anything about you two _OR _Malfoy and frankly, I don't care to. I don't want _anything _to do with any of you so just leave me alone!"

She looked as though she was about to leave but then she stopped and whirled around to face them, causing both boys to jerk in shock when she had slammed her fists down onto the table.

"And _STOP _calling me virgin girl!"

Theodore doubled over in laughter while Viktor just shook his head with a reluctantly amused smile, flicking his gaze back up and watching as Harry stomped back over to her friends. She noticed that she left a trail of female whispers as she walked by, most of which she knew were snippets of gossip that were trying to figure out _how_ she was affiliated with the two members of the S4.

She also noticed that within the few fifteen minutes that she had been talking to Theodore and Viktor, more female stares had accumulated in the room towards them and if anything, this irritated her even more – especially when she saw that among the girls staring were Ginny and Hermione.

_Merlin, what is it with everyone? Are these jerks really that bloody handsome? _

Unfortunately, even _she _knew the answer to her own question was a big fat 'YES' but that didn't prevent her from scowling and glancing back up to glare at the two smirking boys one last time.

She had been walking through the middle of the restaurant towards her friends when she stopped again and noticed that neither Theodore nor Viktor had gotten up and were now more concerned with the haphazardly ringing magic-powered cellphone that the former had just taken out of his jacket pocket. Curious, Harry ignored her friends' questioning looks at her and watched as Theodore held the cellphone up to his ear and conversed curtly with the caller for several seconds.

Then, much to Harry's confusion, Theodore's eyes soon widened in surprise and he suddenly glanced back up again and met her gaze from across the room, indicating wildly for her to come back. More intrigued than suspicious at this point, Harry began to walk cautiously back over to them

"Potter…You'd better let Viktor and I give you a ride with us in our carriage back to school."

Harry's eyes narrowed and she tried to pull away from him when he offered her his hand.

"Why should I go with _you_, Nott_? _I don't know where you'd take me!_"_

Viktor answered this time by scoffing derisively and giving her a calm, pointed smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter…" He stood up from his seat and began to shrug back into his jacket. "Draco called…He's marked a new bully target with the Dark Mark…For associating with _you._"

Harry's eyes widened in horrified disbelief at the Bulgarian Heir's next few words.

"Your friend…_Pansy Parkinson."_

_

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_

**A/N: **And yes, unfortunately, it's _another _cliffhanger. Bwahahahaha! You'll have to wait to see what happens next! Well…At least those who haven't watched the series yet will have to wait. (-_-)

Some clarifications: Yes, I am AWARE that the time difference Harry gave Blaise was wrong but you'll see that corrected later. And yes, Blaise _will _be harboring feelings for a certain someone like in the series. :P Also, I apologize if Draco was not in this chapter but there will be lots of him in the next. :D

**Next Chapter: **More D/H and B/H interaction. And perhaps a new character! :D

Want more? You all know the drill! **PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS MUCH! CHEERS! :D**


	8. Retreat and Regroup

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** My apologies for the terrible delay of this chapter. As some of you already know, I'm working on two other stories right now so it's rather difficult for me to update this fast. Hope you all enjoy! :D

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**Chapter 8 – Retreat and Regroup**

The ride in Viktor's carriage had Harry awkward the entire time as she found herself in the company of the two S-4 boys seated in front of her – both of which were smirking at each other. Soon after, as the three teenagers got down and began making their way into the school castle, Harry's mood dampened even more and she began biting her lip as she forced herself after them.

"Keep up with us, Potter." Theodore had teased her just as they pushed through the school doors and gritting her teeth, Harry had to bite back the scathing reply she had wanted to growl out.

Her small hands were shaking as she hurriedly trailed after Theodore and Viktor's tall frames through SSPAM's long winding hallways. She winced as she got her usual whispers and glares every now and then but this time they were laced with utter dislike – especially when some of the female students saw that she was with two members of the elusive S-4. Nevertheless, she ignored the attention and continued after them, stopping just as both boys entered the crowded eating lounge.

Theodore and Viktor had both stopped at the entrance of the lounge but Harry, in her agitation, pushed past them and ran forward, her eyes widening at the scene that greeted her.

There, seated at the end of the lounge on a lush, green armchair that coincidentally resembled a throne, Malfoy was seated quite comfortably – and was sneering at the crowd of cheering students around him. About fifty or more students were circled around him, most of which were upper years, and were jeering as they repeatedly shoved and threw different painful hexes and jinxes at a small huddled girl on the floor by Malfoy's feet. The girl was kneeling, her face covered with both hands, and she was sobbing pathetically to herself as she hunched over, trying to hide her tear-streaked face.

"_HAG! HAG! HAG! HAG!" _The crowd of watching students continued to chant and leer out loud, causing Malfoy to smirk in amusement, leaning back lazily against the lush backrest of his seat.

From where Harry was standing, she saw that the girl's dark hair was tangled and was all over the place, covered with grime, dirt, and Merlin only knew what else, and her shoulders were trembling as she tried to scoot herself further away from the jeering students around her as possible. The sleeves of her school blouse had been rolled up and, as expected, the S-4's distinct Dark Mark stood out distinctly on her skin, marking her officially as another one of the S-4's unfortunate targets.

_"PARKINSON! YOU'RE A HALF-BREED ASSOCIATING HAG!"_

_ "YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!" _

_ "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN THIS SCHOOL!"_

As this all happened and Harry continued to gape at the sight in utter horror, Malfoy had leaned back against his seat and shot the huddled girl a lazy smirk, one of his eyebrows quirking up in obvious boredom. Just as Harry was inclined to react, however, the blond Heir suddenly spoke up, his soft, drawling voice surprisingly breaking through the loud shouts and making everyone look at him.

"Parkinson, you're pathetic." He raised a single hand up and, rolling his eyes, and waved it lazily over her as though he was casting her away. "Remove her from my sight, she disgusts me." He ordered bluntly and at once, Crabbe and Goyle advanced from the crowd towards the crying girl.

Sensing his disdain, Pansy suddenly looked up and Harry caught a glimpse of her tear-stained, mascara-smudged wide eyes. "D—Draco, I'm so sorry! P—please forgive me, I didn't mean to—"

Malfoy cut her off again, his eyes flashing as he flicked them up and gave her a mocking sneer. "I _said _remove her from my sight! I do not have time to deal with half-breed-loving scum." He quirked an eyebrow again and, unaware of the fact that Harry, Theodore, and Viktor were now heading towards him; he smirked to himself in thought and gave the watching crowd a lazy grin.

"Dump her into the lake." He murmured with a self-satisfied smile and just as Crabbe and Goyle had sniggered and began to gather a sobbing Pansy from the floor, Harry finally exploded.

"_YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS, DISGUSTING, SLUG-EATING PIECE OF VERMIN!" _She ignored Theodore and Viktor's half-hearted protests and charged herself right through the crowd of students gathered around Malfoy, catching him completely off-guard as she yanked her wand out of her robe pockets and raced up to him, pointing it right at his glaring face. "_YOU…PATHETIC…VILE…EVIL…POOR EXCUSE OF A HUMAN BEING! YOU ARROGANT, TWO-FACED GIT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?_" Harry was practically seething as she stopped in front of him, a hateful glare marring her features.

Malfoy, recovering from his initial shock, blinked and glared back at her, his eyes narrowing as he processed her words. "You'd better have a good reason for those insults, Potter." He hissed carefully, and already the crowd of students watching stiffened at the dangerous anger in his voice.

She ignored their reactions, however, and wrapped her fingers even tighter around her wand. Her entire form visibly shaking with anger, she walked over to stand directly in front of Pansy's huddled figure, effectively shielding the older girl from Malfoy, Crabbe _and _Goyle's leering glares.

Harry's eyes flashed in equal intensity and she glared back at him, feeling a sense of pleasure when she noticed the way Malfoy's sneer was hardening in irritation at her impertinence. "Oh believe me I _do, _Malfoy…I have my reasons…You, though, do _you _have a reason for always acting like the stuck-up jerk you are? Or are just trying to act all high to make up for _smaller _things?" She mocked loudly and at once, Malfoy's eyes flashed and he reddened in anger at the implication of her words.

"You wouldn't know anything about that, you frigid, half-breed _bitch._" He snapped back and if anything, he stiffened even more in annoyance when he heard Theodore and Viktor laughing behind him. The crowd of students around them had also looked away, trying to hide their amused smiles.

Harry noticed their reactions and her smile widened a bit more, her hesitation replaced with a smug sense of satisfaction. "So does it make you feel good, Malfoy? Picking on women like this in front of an entire crowd of students and having brainless thugs like Crabbe and Goyle do your dirty work for you? You're pathetic! What's Pansy ever done to you anyway? Let her go right now!" She demanded but her words did nothing but make Malfoy sneer again and lean back against his chair.

With a handsome, lazy smirk, he crossed his arms over his chest and crossed one ankle coolly over another, looking decidedly amused at her indignation. "She's a disgrace to this school, Potter. She's associated with the likes of _you_, and that makes me unhappy." Malfoy drawled, and he chuckled again, averting his gray eyes from Harry's angry expression to the crowd of cowering students.

"And we all know that anyone…_anyone _in this school who makes me unhappy…is to be punished severely for her actions." He ignored the look of disbelief on Harry's face and raised his hand again, snapping his fingers twice and watching as Crabbe and Goyle seized forward once more.

"Besides, _you_ were the one who declared war on _me._" Draco chuckled and elegantly brushed back the strands of hair over his eyes. "So be prepared to face the consequences of that, half-breed."

A little intimidated, Harry inadvertently took a step towards Pansy's huddled form again but before she could gather the crying girl into her arms, Crabbe had already reached forward and grabbed the older girl by her arm. Pansy whimpered immediately, trembling violently with fear.

"_H—Harry!_" She tried to reach out and grab Harry by her arm and Harry tried to do the same but unfortunately, Goyle had grabbed her too and was yanking her away from Pansy as well. Harry growled, kicked and clawed at him, struggling wildly when Goyle had managed to take her wand.

"_LET ME GO YOU BRAINLESS THUG BEFORE I MAKE YOU REGRET IT—"_

Malfoy's eyes gleamed with something she didn't quite understand and his glare melted slowly into smug, self-righteous smirk as he watched this. He raised the hand he had been stroking his chin with and lifted a long, elegant finger, indicating lazily to both Crabbe and Goyle to cease their actions.

"Stop." He murmured thoughtfully and, completely ignoring Theodore and Viktor's questioning looks at him, he used that same finger and gestured languidly to Goyle with a raised eyebrow.

"Bring her to me."

Harry stiffened immediately as soon as she had heard the whispered words leaving the Malfoy Heir's lips but before she had the chance to move away, Goyle lifted her easily – hoisting her up and carrying her, kicking and screaming, all the way to the front of the room where Malfoy was seated.

As he did this, Crabbe had looked as though he was going to bring Pansy up to Malfoy as well but the S-4 leader smirked and kept the large boy in place with a single, careless wave of his hand.

"Just Potter." Malfoy drawled again, eliciting a round of curious whispers among the crowd.

By now, Theodore and Viktor had hung back somewhere along the back of the crowd and were watching the scene unfold with mildly amused smirks. Just a couple of feet away from them, the two were unaware that Blaise was watching the scene as well with a completely blank look on his face.

_What is he going to do? _Harry began to sense her own panic from the rapid beating of her heart against her chest but she tried to mask it by giving the S-4 leader a fierce, menacing growl.

"_I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, MALFOY! AND IF YOU THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THAT I—" _She stopped when she heard Pansy's crying voice behind her, breaking through her angry tirade.

"Harry, stop it! Don't provoke him anymore, just do as he says!" Pansy protested tearfully but unfortunately, her helpless fear did nothing but inflame Harry's anger even more and she continued.

"—_I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU WIN, YOU STUPID JERK! LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME, I SAY!" _Her struggles did not cease for one second as Goyle somehow managed to bring her up to where Malfoy was seated and shoved her down, forcing her onto her knees in front of the S-4 leader.

Malfoy didn't say anything at this but instead, he glanced down at her and met her seething expression with a condescending smirk, one of his eyebrows arching up slowly in amusement. Then, to Harry's further indignation, he added to her humiliation even more when he set one of his expensive boots down on the floor in front of her – looking pointedly at her with a taunting sneer.

"Kneel down and kiss my boot, Potter."

Theodore and Viktor's eyes had widened and even Blaise looked shocked at Malfoy's suggestion but nothing compared to the horror and utter, humiliated anger on Harry's face – heightened further when she heard the explosion of laughter from Crabbe, Goyle, and the other students around them. She reddened and sputtered for a couple of minutes as Malfoy continued to sneer at her, his eyes narrowed and his other foot tapping impatiently as he waited for her to answer.

"Go on then, Potter."

In that moment, Harry would have loved more than anything to stand back up and ram her fist against his face but then Malfoy spoke again, his gaze lifting from hers to Pansy's horrified, tearful face behind her. The older girl was still being held back by Crabbe and was trembling in utter fear.

Malfoy's eyes gleamed at this and he flicked them back over to Harry's infuriated expression. "Kneel down and kiss my boot now, Potter…And in exchange, I'll remove the Dark Mark from your dear friend Parkinson over here…" He paused and chuckled again, looking amused at her hesitation. "I'll even forget this whole thing _ever _happened…And she can go free as a bird. Completely forgiven. Of course, that is if you _do _as I say right now." He tapped his boot in front of her with a cruel laugh.

"Well…? What's it going to be, Potter? Your pride…? Or—" Malfoy snapped his fingers again and once more, Crabbe responded instantly, hoisting Pansy up and causing her to scream in protest. "—your…_dear…_friend…?" He drawled sarcastically, watching as a truckload of conflicted emotions began running all over Harry's face. She looked positively torn between anger and helpless defeat.

Malfoy felt a sense of triumph at her expression and began to chuckle to himself in amusement. ""I sure hope Parkinson can swim…Otherwise, I'd hate to think what would happen to her once Crabbe here dumps her into the lake." He grinned wider as Pansy began to tremble and the watching crowd of students laughed at his words "Then again, I'm sure she could learn eventually if I have her dumped into the lake every morning before class." He smirked again, meeting Harry's eyes.

If looks could kill, she was positively certain she would have killed him twice and over and it _still_ wouldn't have sated the bitter feeling of anger, hate, and revulsion for him boiling in her chest. Still, however, she knew she couldn't have fought back against him if she tried and she clenched her hands tightly into fists, gritting her teeth and averting her eyes away from his face to his shoes.

From several feet away, Pansy was watching the entire scene unfolding quietly, her teary eyes wide and a little glassy as they flicked desperately back and forth between Harry's angry glare and Malfoy's smug, mocking expression. She didn't really know what she could have said to the younger girl so instead, she bit her lower lip and shook her head tearfully at her, managing a shaky smile.

"I—it's okay, Harry…You don't have to—" She stopped and when Harry had opened her eyes and stared at her, meeting her gaze and allowing her to see the firm reassurance in those green orbs.

She didn't say anything back, but Pansy's saw the firm resolve on her face and without meaning to, her own blue eyes began to fill with tears of utter relief, and genuine, heartfelt gratitude.

* * *

As expected, Draco knew he had won this fight and his smirk widened as he leaned back again; watching in satisfaction as Harry finally clenched her eyes shut and began to lower herself into a crouching position on the floor by his feet. A look of utter and complete self-revulsion was on her face as she bent over, several strands of hair falling slightly over her eyes and began to move her face closer towards one of his boots – trembling and shaking the entire time as her lips drew closer.

He noticed that the entire lounge had fallen completely silent as this happened but nothing could have taken his attention away from the look of reluctant, though genuine, acquiescence on Harry's face. She was already kneeling down at his feet, her beautiful face flushed and her entire body visibly trembling with rage as she forced herself to lean in so that her lips hovered over his shoe.

"Draco, stop it—" His left eye twitched in annoyance when he recognized Theodore's voice calling out to him from several feet away but he didn't dare tear his eyes away from Harry. The younger student was completely crouched down in front of his seated form now, and her pink lips were mere _inches _away from touching the expensive, gleaming leather of his designer boots.

_Don't do this._ Draco heard the sound of his own voice whispering to him in his head and his eyebrows fused together, confusion and hesitation beginning to well up in his chest. He continued to remain silent though, and watched as Harry paused hesitantly, a lock of hair falling into her eyes.

At her expression, Draco couldn't resist mocking the dark-haired girl one last time.

"Like the taste of defeat and humiliation, half-breed…?"

Harry's stiffened again but this time, as she clenched her eyes tighter and brushed away the lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes, Draco finally caught a glimpse of the broken defeat on her beautiful features. And strangely enough, the sneer on his face faltered into an uncertain frown.

_I don't want this._

He didn't understand why exactly, but Draco fused his eyebrows together at the strange heaviness he felt in his chest. Unknown to everyone else, his eyes began to soften as he watched her.

"Potter, stop—" Cursing under his breath, he grit his teeth and was just about to pull his shoe away. He couldn't find the right words to say but unfortunately, before he even mustered up the nerve to say something, another familiar, smooth lazy drawl had suddenly broken the awkward silence.

"You were wrong, you know." Blaise's softly amused, chuckling voice was recognizable easily and when Draco's gaze flicked over to him, the crowd of students parted instantly, allowing the Malfoy heir to catch a glimpse of his best friend, along with Theodore and Viktor standing right beside him.

The three S-4 members had been watching the whole scene the entire time in curious silence and it was only then that Blaise had chosen that moment to speak up to divert Draco's attention away. Sure enough, the little ploy worked and Draco's silver orbs shifted easily from Harry's confused expression to Blaise's amused smirk. The S-4 leader glared at the other boy in growing annoyance.

"What are you talking about, Zabini?" He growled out but Blaise deliberately ignored him, his attention surprisingly not on Draco but on Harry's awkwardly crouched form just by Draco's feet. The black-haired girl noticed the Italian Heir's attention on her easily and she lifted her eyes up from Draco's shoe to look at him, meeting his handsome smile with an utterly bewildered, questioning look.

"I—I was…?" She stammered and Draco's eyes narrowed when he noticed the definite way Harry's cheeks had flushed in embarrassment the minute she had met Blaise's intense gaze. Draco chose not to say anything, however, and continued to watch their interaction in tense, heated silence.

Blaise's lips quirked up again into a brief smirk and he shook his head at her, walking slowly over to where she was still crouched by Draco's feet and crouching down right beside her. Harry continued to look completely bewildered at this and she tilted her face up so she could meet his eyes.

He chuckled when Harry blushed at his nearness and spoke again. "The time difference between here and France…You were wrong, Potter. You told me before that we were ahead by one hour." Blaise arched an eyebrow and gestured to the watch on his wrist. "You got it reversed. _France _is the one ahead of us by one hour…" He corrected her, and Harry looked more confused at his words.

Biting her lip and unsure of how to react, Harry swallowed the lump in her throat but managed to nod slowly at him, giving him an apologetic grimace. "I apologize…" She offered with a weak smile.

Blaise didn't smile back but gave her a steady, completely unnerving gaze, unwittingly drawing Harry's attention to his bright blue eyes and causing more blood to rush into her pale cheeks. Harry faltered at his expression but couldn't seem to do anything else except stare back at him.

As the rest of the watching students saw their interaction, Draco lost the inclination to continue taunting her. All he could feel was this heavy, sickening feeling inside his gut that made him want to punch something and it confused him – so he masked this by sneering and turning away.

_What the hell is Zabini playing at? Does he like Potter or something? Does she like him?_

The way Harry smiled at Blaise was certainly something he did not miss – it was a look akin to admiration and embarrassment that, not once, had she ever given Draco and that realization stung him. In fact, he felt so _angry _with Harry and with himself that he couldn't bear to look at her anymore.

"Screw this." Draco's sharp, angry hiss had caught both Blaise and Harry's attention and as they turned back to him, he growled loudly and pulled his foot away, rising up sharply from his seat. He gave a curt nod to Crabbe and the large boy released Pansy easily, shoving her to the cold floor.

Harry reacted at once. "Pansy, are you okay—"

"Remove her Dark Mark."

Crabbe sputtered several times and looked from Harry to Draco in confusion.

"B—but Malfoy…Potter hasn't kissed your shoe yet—"

Draco rounded on him again and his gray eyes suddenly flashed violently in anger.

"_I SAID REMOVE THE MARK, YOU SLUG-FACED IMBECILE!"_

Crabbe winced at the infuriated tone of the S-4 leader's voice and nodded nervously before turning back around and removing Pansy's Dark Mark with a strange spell no one was familiar with. Pansy trembled slightly in relief but looked up at Draco with a strange, unreadable look in her eyes.

He ignored her and watched with narrowed eyes as Blaise stood up slowly, offering his hand out to Harry. She took it gratefully, and pulled herself up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt.

Draco wasn't exactly sure as to why he was angry at this so he turned away quickly before any of the watching students could see his face, averting his gaze back to stare at Harry's standing form. The younger teenager was staring at him in silence, her eyes clouded in confusion and surprise.

_Stop staring at me like that. _Draco felt an unexplainable flush rising up into his cheeks and in his annoyance, he sneered at her again, stepping around her like she was a mere inanimate object.

When Harry looked as though she was going to speak, Draco cut her off completely by letting out a seemingly dismissive scoff and turning back to Blaise, Theodore and Viktor with a cold smirk.

"Forget it…I'm tired of this anyway. Let's go." As he turned to leave, he was surprised when Harry suddenly spoke up, calling Draco's attention just as all four S-4 members reached the exit.

"But…I…I thought I had to—"

Draco whirled around and silenced her confused protests with a cold, emotionless glare. Harry was holding a sobbing Pansy in her arms but her challenging glare met his easily in angry confusion.

"Save it, Potter." He drawled back and before she had another chance to say anything else, he followed his words up with a mocking sneer. "I was beginning to get bored anyway." He tried not to notice the way his voice had sounded a little huffy and turned away, walking briskly towards the exit.

He never noticed the way Blaise had turned back to look at Harry intently one last time as they walked away – nor did he see Theodore and Viktor's smirks as they followed right behind them.

* * *

Theodore ran a hand through his light, speckled blonde hair and nodded in greeting as one of his personal bodyguards bowed to him and opened the large double doors leading to The Tavern that night – one of his privately-owned, and rather favorite, clubs. He knew his three best friends were already waiting for him up in the VIP room when he had arrived but that didn't stop him from glancing briefly at the female veela receptionist by the front and giving her one of his heartbreaking smiles.

"Good evening, Stacey…Are my three idiot friends here yet?" He asked with a wink and as usual, the blonde smiled back flirtatiously at him, nodding and gesturing him up to the top VIP room.

"Of course, Master Theo…They are upstairs in your usual room waiting for you—" She stopped when Theodore nodded and cut her off, shrugging off his expensive cloak and handing it to her.

"Alright, be sure to charm up a couple more drinks then. I think we're pulling another all-nighter." He smiled at her again but just as he had turned to leave, Stacey spoke up again and gave him a pointed, rather exasperated look. "Master Theo…You have…er…Another guest waiting for you."

At the slightly amused tone of her voice, one of Theodore's eyebrows quirked up and he turned back around slowly to glance at her. "Er…Guest? I don't have any appointments scheduled—" He was cut off when Stacey spoke up again, shaking her head and giving him a pointed smirk.

"This guest claims she is a…_surprise _for you…She's been waiting to see you all afternoon." She drawled and without waiting for him to respond, she gestured briefly to the waiting lobby across them.  
"Miss Stone…?" She called out and the minute Theodore recognized the name, he paled in realization.

"Fuck—" He cursed under his breath but he masked his annoyance as he turned around, looking up and finding himself staring into the gorgeous smile of one of his latest conquests – the elegant, very sultry Emily Stone, wife of the tycoon Alexander Stone, one of his father's associates.

"Theodore, my darling!" Emily had jumped up from where she had been waiting on her seat by the couch across the reception area and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around the younger boy and pressing her lips against his in a deep, passionate kiss. Not really one to pass up a good woman, Theo felt his annoyance melting away and he kissed her back, his lips quirking into a smile.

"My, my…_Emily_, my ravishing temptress, what can I do for you tonight…?" He smirked lazily at her and pointedly dropped his hand down onto the curve of her waist, using that advantage to pull her voluptuous body closer against him so that he could feel her curves pressed against his lean frame.

Emily laughed at his directness but didn't pull away from him, reaching both her slim arms up and wrapping them comfortably around his neck. "I have a surprise for you, my love…I was actually planning to tell you tomorrow right when you come over but I couldn't wait any longer. I had to see you!" She leaned up and caught his lips in another heated kiss again, causing Theo to chuckle softly.

He trailed one of his hands up and rested it seductively around her nape. "Well then, I'm excited, Emily…What is it you have planned for me? I've always loved surprises." He told her and not giving the older woman a chance to respond right away, he began placing kisses along her pale neck.

Emily giggled a little at this but pushed him back slowly, reaching into the large, designer purse in her hands and yanking out a large, rolled-up piece of parchment. At first, Theodore was a little confused and stared at her in question but as soon as she had unrolled the parchment and showed him its contents, the curious look on his face faded instantly, and in its place was a sad smile.

"It's my divorce papers, my darling." Emily's eyes were bright with genuine excitement as she looked up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck again and nuzzling him. "I've settled everything and I'm scheduled to be single again by next month! We can finally be together, my love! We can—"

She stopped and froze in surprise when Theodore had leaned forward and caught her half-open lips in a deep, searing kiss – letting her know in that one gesture alone how much she had meant to him and how much he had genuinely enjoyed their last couple of weeks together. He knew it was futile then, because she had begun to think of him too seriously, and it was finally time to retreat.

Theodore's eyes were unusually soft and gentle as he pulled away from her and pressed his forehead against hers, reaching a hand up and tenderly stroking her cheek. "Thank you for the memories, my beautiful Emily…" He saw her confused look and clasped her hand with his free one, lifting it to his lips to give it a sweet kiss. "I will never forget the times we've shared." He whispered and when Emily tried to speak again, he finally pulled away and turned back to Stacey's smug smirk.

"Stacey…? Have one of my servants escort Miss Stone back to her residence in one of my carriages. Make sure she's nothing short of comfortable." He spoke softly and when he dared to glance back at Emily again, he had to look away quickly when he saw the heartbroken tears in her eyes.

"Th—Theo, I don't understand—"

Theodore smiled soothingly at her, leaning down to give her one last kiss on the cheek.

"Good bye, Emily." He whispered and before she could say anything else, Theodore had already turned around and began heading up to the VIP room – deliberately ignoring Emily's sobbing shouts at him. He knew she was trying to run after him but he was _also _certain that his bodyguards were already escorting her out of the club so he shook his head and began to whistle as he walked on.

He stopped walking just as he reached the topmost room of the large club – the VIP room he had designed specifically for him and his friends – and smirked as he entered, immediately bombarded with the sight of Viktor seated in the middle of a group of girls who were attached firmly to his arm.

The Bulgarian Heir had been in the middle of a passionate kiss with a gorgeous redhead when Theodore had entered and at the sudden distraction, Viktor reluctantly pulled away, sighing and looking up to give Theodore a disgruntled glare. "You know…The next time you invite us out Nott, you'd better _damn _make sure you get here on time. We've been here for over an _hour._" He snapped.

Theodore grinned at his annoyance, chuckling as he closed the door softly behind him and made his way over to his usual seat in the corner of the room by the expensive mini bar. "Sorry, I would have gotten here sooner but I got a little held up downstairs. I wasn't really expecting her—"

"Girl troubles?" Viktor supplied bluntly for him with a knowing smirk before he turned and rewarded one of the dark-haired girls pouting beside him with a quick, searing kiss on her cheek.

Theodore shook his head at that and smirked as one of the girls seated on Viktor's right side suddenly stood up and sashayed over to him, smiling seductively before sitting herself on his lap. He smiled briefly at her before turning back to Viktor, oblivious to the two other quiet boys in the room.

"More like _women _troubles, actually…You know I only date _women, _Krummy-boy." He paused and took a brief puff from the cigarette the girl on his lap was offering up to his lips. "They're the only ones who can satisfy my needs – physically, intellectually, and _emotionally._" He drawled with a smirk.

Viktor had paused in the middle of an intimate, whispered conversation he was having with the redhead beside him again and gave him an irritated, warning glare. "Don't call me 'Krummy-boy'." He growled out but just as Theodore had turned away to laugh, another impatient voice spoke up.

"You're _disgusting, _Nott! How can you _stand _to sleep around with women _twice _your age? It's sick; you don't even know where they've been or who's touched them!" Draco suddenly piped up from the far corner of the room and in their surprise, Theodore and Viktor both looked up – smirking as they directed their attention to the S-4 leader's sulking form across them for the first time.

"Oh hey, Dray…I almost didn't notice you were there. Sulking again, as usual…" Theodore grinned, amused when he noticed that Blaise was in the corner adjacent to Draco and that as usual, _both_ boys – unlike him and Viktor – were glowering to themselves _without _any female company.

Viktor took a cue from Theodore and smirked at the other two as well, shaking his head in exasperation. "Malfoy, was there _ever _even a time you just laid back, relaxed and had a little fun? Here, why don't you let Rebecca here massage your shoulders? She's a certified masseuse, don't worry." He didn't wait for Draco to respond before whispering to the redhead beside him, nodding her towards Draco and watching with an amused smirk as she stood up and walked hesitantly over to him.

Draco didn't particularly look amused at the gesture though and when Rebecca had seated herself beside him and began to massage his shoulders, the Malfoy Heir stiffened immediately but he didn't pull away just yet, rolling his eyes and flicking his dark glare back over to Viktor's wry grin.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about." He pointed out rudely with a raised eyebrow but this time, it was Theodore who answered him and he gave the blonde an amused, encouraging grin.

"Aw come on, Drac…Loosen up a bit. You have to learn to slow down, de-stress! Otherwise, you're going to wind up as utterly boring and lifeless as our dear friend over there." He gestured with a chuckle to Blaise beside Draco and the other two chuckled, shaking their heads in agreement.

Blaise didn't say anything but he looked up at Theodore, giving him a blank, impassive stare.

"What time is it?" Was all he asked but at his question, Theodore and Viktor both groaned loudly, shaking their heads and downing another shot of liquor before they decided to answer him.

"It's a quarter to 9, you overexcited prick. She said she'll call you when she gets back, I'm sure it'll be the first thing she does, Blaise. Just stop fidgeting and wait for her. Merlin's beard!" Viktor snapped in irritation, absentmindedly wrapping his arm around the giggling brunette beside him.

Draco shifted his gray eyes from Viktor to Blaise, and the minute his gaze rested on his best friend, he couldn't help the scowl that began to mar his handsome features. "Hey, I almost forgot to ask…Why are you so friendly with that Potter girl? You _do _know she's the enemy, right?" He drawled in a resentful tone of voice but even though Blaise had looked at him, it was Theodore who answered.

"Actually Blaise, that's just Draco's way of saying 'Hands-off the goods! She's mine!'. Don't mind him. Like we said, he _really _needs to loosen up and get laid." Theodore failed to notice the way Draco's eyes were flashing dangerously in anger and gave the seething S-4 leader a pointed smirk.

"Come to think of it, when _was _the last time you got laid, Malfoy…? No wonder you're so tense. Hey Rebecca." Theodore called over to Rebecca again, causing the redhead to momentarily stop massaging Draco's shoulders and smile back expectantly at him. "Why don't you show help Draco loosen up a little bit more, love…? I'm sure Viktor won't mind, right?" He glanced back at his friend.

Viktor just snorted in amusement and shook his head, downing another shot of whiskey. "Go ahead, love…Malfoy's a whiny brat but he's _probably _almost as good as me." He kidded with a wink.

Rebecca chuckled but climbed up onto Draco's lap, wrapping her hands around his shoulders. Just as she had obliged and pressed her lips expertly against his, however, the blond tensed instantly and after about five seconds, the Malfoy Heir had growled and rudely shoved her right off his lap, causing the redhead to cry out in pain as she ended up sprawled messily all over the carpeted floor.

"_OW! YOU JERK!" _She glared indignantly up at him but Draco's eyes narrowed and he sneered right back, making a disgusted face as he wiped the smudge of her bright red lipstick off his mouth.

"You taste like cheap beer." Draco drawled back coldly and ignoring her indignant screeching at him, he lifted his gaze from her and directed his glare at Viktor's equally angry glare at him. "I only like _champagne._" His smirk widened when Rebecca seethed and began shrieking at him again.

"_HOW DARE YOU? I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE INSULTED IN MY LIFE—" _

"Rebecca, don't mind him…He's an ass. Come on, sit by me." Viktor's voice radiated an unmistakable annoyance directed towards Draco but the other boy just smirked back at him, not at all intimidated. "What's wrong with you, anyway? Is Potter _really _the kind of woman you're attracted to?"

Draco sneered contemptuously at him in annoyance, shaking his head in fierce denial.

"I do _not _like Potter—"

Theodore snorted and set the bottle of whiskey he had been drinking down so he could speak.

"Yes, you do."

"I do _not_!_"_

Viktor met Theodore's mirth-filled eyes again and the two boys shared a knowing smirk.

_ "_Why didn't you remove her Dark Mark then like you did Parkinson's?"

"Because Potter's an annoying, infuriatingly impertinent chit!"

_**RIIIIING! RIIIIING! RIIIIING! **_

Draco, Viktor, and Theodore all froze in the middle of their argument and shot their attention across the room at Blaise as the Italian Heir suddenly stood up, pulling his magical cellular phone out of his pocket. His handsome face remained completely devoid of emotion but his three friends could see from the trembling of his fingers that he was very nervous, and he was trying hard not to show it.

"Hello…?" Blaise's eyebrows fused slowly together as he listened to soft, wonderfully familiar voice on the other line, closing his eyes as he was lulled by the sheer beauty of the sound. "You're here…? Alright…Okay…Yes, they're with me too. We'll come and meet you…We'll be right there." He finished the conversation quickly and put down the phone, looking up into his friends' teasing smirks.

Draco raised a single eyebrow teasingly at him while Theodore and Viktor both grinned knowingly, giving Blaise a quick, amused wink. "So… Who was that on the phone just then, Zabini…?"

Blaise met their gazes one by one, and on his face was the ghost of a genuine, tender smile.

"She's finally home."

* * *

**A/N:** Mwahahaha! I am the evil sorceress of evil cliffhangers! Out to bring destruction to this small, petty world one cliffhanger at a time. Mwahahaha! Errm. Okay. I have _no _idea where that came from. Hahaha! Anyway! I am _so _sorry that this chapter took so long. Unfortunately, finishing my other story Phoenix Tears, is my top priority at the moment so I find very little time to write chapters for this.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story so far and for the next chapter, we'll see just who _exactly _Blaise is so darn excited to see. I'm sure it's pretty obvious, especially to those who've watched the series. More D/H and B/H interaction to come soon, I promise. Until then, you all know the drill! :D

**PLEASE REVIEW AND SEND ME YOUR THOUGHTS! CHEERS TO EVERYONE! :D**


	9. Friends and Enemies

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**Full Summary:** All Harriet Jamie Potter wanted was a quiet, simple life. She never wanted to attend Salazar Slytherin's Pureblood Academy of Magic that year and anger the S-4. She _especially _never wanted the attention of its obnoxious leader, Draco Lucius Malfoy. A Hana Yori Dango Adaptation. AU.

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Pairings: **DM/femHP, BZ/femHP, many others.

**Note/Warnings: AU. **This story is an **ADAPTATION **of the JDrama / Manga, **HANA YORI DANGO,** and will be very similar in plot and circumstances. Harry is **BORN **a girl in this story.

**A/N:** Very sorry for the delay on this update. My main priority right now is Phoenix Tears and after that, The Perfect Mother, so this is only third on my update list. Work has also been giving me so much grief and stress lately. *sobs* Anyway, hope you all enjoy this little treat! :D

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Friends and Enemies**

Unknown to him, a smile was beginning to light up Blaise's face as he approached the familiar platform just near SSPAM castle, where she would be waiting for him. His friends, all of which were complaining and jogging up behind him to catch up, all watched as the Italian Heir stopped for a minute as he approached the platform and stared, utterly mesmerized at the sight that greeted him.

A tall, slender girl had been standing just by the entrance to SSPAM castle, and her back was facing them as her beautiful, silver-blonde hair glistened under the moonlight. Then, when she finally sensed their presence, she turned around slowly and Blaise looked into those familiar, light blue eyes. She smiled slowly at him, her lovely, elegant features lighting up into a genuine look of happiness.

"Blaise!" She smiled as the four boys approached her and waved cheerfully at them, laughing softly as the boys seemed out of breath when they managed to reach her. As expected, Blaise was the one to get to her first and pushing all customs of modesty aside, he yanked her into his arms into a tight embrace, closing his eyes slowly as he savored the feeling of her warm, slender body against his.

Draco, Theodore, and Viktor watched the pair hugging silently, all three boys secretly exchanging knowing smirks from behind Blaise so he wouldn't notice. When the two pulled back, the blonde-haired girl finally turned to address all of them, giving them all her well-missed, dazzling smile.

"Well, look at you three…It almost seems as if you gotten even more handsome than the last time I saw you." She teased and after exchanging a similar tight hug and friendly kiss to the cheek to each of them, she pulled back again and allowed Blaise to tug her back so that she was facing him.

"_Fleur…_" His voice sounded a bit cold and angry as he faced her that Draco, Theodore and Viktor all stared at him in confusion, watching as the Italian Heir gave Fleur a displeased scowl. He wasn't expecting to have her smiling questioningly at him again, however, and to have her beautiful face up close to his like that again almost made him forget what he was angry about in the first place.

"You didn't answer me in your letters…I…I told you about how I didn't want you modeling in those magazines…" He began uncertainly, ignoring the incredulous looks his friends gave him and choosing only to focus on Fleur's gentle, teasing eyes. "I…I don't like it when you model yourself and expose too much of your body like that…Fleur isn't just like any of those girls in those magazines." He tried to reason out softly but as always, Fleur's eyes just twinkled and she caressed his cheek gently.

"Oh Blaise, my love…You are always looking out for me, yes?" She smiled again at the conflicted and hesitant look in his eyes and continued, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "But you have to understand, my love…I am an independent girl now, I can take care of myself, I promise… You don't have to look out for me all the time, you know." She told him gently but Blaise looked adamant.

"But those pictures—"

"Zabini, what the bloody hell are you on about? Fleur was barely showing any skin in these pictures and besides, she looks _great!_" Theodore laughed at Blaise's angry glare at him and gestured to one of the large tarpaulins nearby of Fleur modeling a very classy and elegant white evening dress. "Fleur, I think he's just jealous that so many people are always staring at you, don't mind the git." He teased, causing both Draco and Viktor to laugh and Blaise to growl as he turned back to glare at him.

"Theo—"

Fleur shook her head at all three boys' rambunctious comments and turned her soft blue eyes to Blaise's slightly flushed face again, her expression softening slowly as she cradled his cheek. "Oh don't mind them, Blaise…You know it's okay, I don't mind it if you're jealous sometimes…" Her lips tugged upwards into a small, teasing smile and she stepped closer so that their faces were mere inches apart. "I understand…My Blaise is just looking out for me, isn't he? Like he always does…And you know that's one of the things I love most about you…" She tapped him gently on his nose. "So it's quite okay to be jealous. In fact, a little jealousy is healthy for you…It helps young little boys like _you _three—" She grinned and turned her attention to the other three laughing boys right beside them.

"—realize the importance of taking care of someone…caring for someone else…Okay, love?" She chuckled when Blaise nodded at her words, the humiliated flush on his face fading slowly and giving way into a small, soft smile. It faded instantly, however, the minute he heard her next words.

"But then again, _relationships _are important too you know, Blaise…And so is the experience of having a girlfriend…How goes it, my darling? Any girlfriends yet?" Her voice took on a lighter, teasing note but by now, Draco, Theodore and Viktor had all suddenly stopped laughing and fell stiff silent.

Looking up at them, Fleur suddenly noticed the way Blaise's jaw had clenched in frustration – along with the way Draco, Theodore and Viktor were avoiding her eyes, and she looked a bit confused.

"Is everything all right?" She asked and again, the other three seemed to be avoiding her eyes. It wasn't until Theodore got the nerve to speak up again that the awkward silence was broken.

"_I _got a girlfriend…In fact—" He grinned and raised his eyebrows up and down at her as he took Fleur from Blaise's arms, noting the way the Italian Heir's face had taken on a dark, angry countenance. " –I've had _tons _of girlfriends while you were away, Fleur…Shall I recount them all to you? Tell you of my tales of loves and loves lost?" He gave her a saucy wink but his efforts were interrupted when Draco suddenly spoke up, smirking as turned to Fleur and answered in a slow drawl.

"Careful, Fleur…By those tales, he means vivid and very _lurid _accounts of just how exactly his _experience _with these girls were…And personally, they're images I'd rather not have in my head, thank you very much." He pointed out and the others, save for Blaise, laughed at his snide comment.

Theodore grinned and made a face at him, pretending to look offended at his comment.

"Malfoy, you _wound _me, you really do! I'd almost think you didn't care about my exploits—"

"Save it, Nott…This is Fleur's night, we should let _her _do all the talking." Viktor suddenly chimed in as he walked towards them, slinging an arm easily around Fleur's slim shoulders. "So, Mademoiselle Delacour…Where shall we take you out on your first night back here in London?" He teased, causing Fleur to grin let out a soft laugh as Draco and Theodore soon followed Viktor's lead.

"Oh _yeeaaaah, _we should go out dancing tonight, what do you say? There's this new club that's opened in London last weekend, we should go check it out. Also, a good chance for me to scope out my competition, wouldn't you say?" Theodore suggested and Draco shrugged, flashing a lazy grin.

"Sure…I'm in…Just as long as Krum here doesn't push his disgusting girls on me again." He added with a derisive sneer and nearly causing Viktor to aim a swipe at him had Fleur not laughed again and disentangled herself from Viktor's arm. She slung her arm playfully over Draco's shoulders, giving her second-cousin a brief kiss on the cheek before turning back to grin at Viktor and Theodore.

"Well, I'm game for anything you guys are up to, so I say give me your best shot!" She chimed in with soft laugh, causing both Theodore and Viktor to cheer loudly and Draco to roll his eyes.

"If we must." He drawled and just as Fleur laughed again and playfully swatted him over the head in admonishment. When he made a face at her, however, Theodore added in with a wide smirk.

"Oh don't mind your cousin there, Fleur…He's been grumpy like that all week because his new _girlfriend _doesn't want anything to do with him." He burst out into sniggers when Draco growled and aimed a punch at him, missing him by just a couple of inches and ending up punching at thin air.

"Take that back, you bloody wanker! I do _not _like that annoying little half-blood!"

Theodore and Viktor both laughed again and as they led Fleur forward, regaling the blonde girl with lively chatter about everything that's happened, Draco chose to stay behind, the sneer on his face fading slowly until it ended up into a grimace. He waited patiently as Blaise, who had fallen silent and spent the last few minutes of their conversation scowling at his shoes, slowly looked back up.

Shaking his head, Draco managed a weak, sideways smirk at him, reaching over and clasping the other pureblood lightly by his shoulder. Blaise didn't say anything but he knew what Draco meant.

"You going to be okay tonight, Zabini?"

Blinking and arching a single eyebrow slowly at him as though Draco's question had meant nothing to him, Blaise managed a weak, careless shrug before he shoved his hands into his pocket.

"She was never mine to begin with."

Draco fought the urge to cringe again but he nodded otherwise. With an exasperated sigh, after patting the other pureblood again on his back, he and Blaise followed after the others.

* * *

"_Gaaarghh….._Honestly, who chooses a class this early in the morning?" Harry grumbled to herself as she trudged along the luxurious SSPAM corridors that morning, yawning a couple more times just as she reached her locker. She blinked her eyes sleepily at her wristwatch before yawning again and opening her locker, trading in some of her spell books and parchment for her next class.

"Ugh and just my luck, Professor Greasy-Hair Snape is my next class, whoop-dee-doo." Harry muttered to herself again, slamming her locker shut and shoving her things into her bag. "I swear to Merlin, if I ever graduate from this bloody school alive, I am going to throw a bloody party—_ARGH!" _She jumped and nearly screamed out loud when she felt a sudden presence behind her and cursing, she whirled around in shock, her hand immediately going to grab her wand from her robe pockets.

To her surprise – and slight annoyance – she saw none other than Neville Longbottom standing there and looking sheepishly at her. With an exasperated sigh, she put her wand down.

"Neville! For Merlin's sake, don't _sneak _up on me like that! You _know _how I'm always so jumpy in the morning." She told him with a weak glare and Neville winced, ducking his head behind his hand.

"I—I know, I'm sorry, Harry…I forgot…I didn't mean to startle you." He laughed good-naturedly at himself and shook his head, reaching over her head to open his own locker. "I just wanted to catch up with you before you head off to your next class, I have something to ask you." Coughing, a slight pink tinge began to appear on his face and Harry noticed the change instantly.

"Neville, are you okay?" Her eyebrows came together in worry and she reached up to place her palm across her forehead to check his temperature. "Well, you don't have a fever but you're awfully flushed, perhaps you need a drink of water? There's a drinking fountain nearby you know—"

Looking a little annoyed and blushing even further, Neville swatted her hand away from his forehead in impatience and shook his head, managing an embarrassed laugh. "I—I'm not sick or anything, Harry, I'm just a little…_embarrassed…_I guess…Well, more so now after that." He laughed again in good humor and curious now, Harry crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at him.

"Er…Okay…I'm listening." She raised an eyebrow at him when he laughed again and after clearing his throat a few times, he slowly raised his eyes up to her, giving her a shy, nervous smile.

"Actually, I uh…Well…I was wondering…Did you know that Fleur Delacour is back in school now for a few days?" He winced when he realized he must have started out all wrong, especially when Harry's eyes suddenly lit up at his announcement and she gave him a bright, surprised smile.

"_Fleur Delacour? _As in my ultimate role model, Fleur Delacour is back in school? That's wonderful news, Neville, that's the best news I've heard all day! Maybe I'll even get a chance to speak to her or meet her!" She exclaimed and the minute she had said that, Neville saw the opportunity he had been looking for so he grinned and nodded at her excitement, pulling two cards out of his pocket.

"Actually…That was what I wanted to ask you about…You see, er—" He began to blush again when Harry looked up to meet his eyes but he forced himself to continue. "—Fleur's throwing a huge ball tonight for her homecoming, I gather…It's going to be held in her house, of course…Just a few streets down from my house…And well…I was wondering if…Maybe…You…" Neville's face was almost as red as a tomato now and he was near hyperventilation by the time he got to his next few words.

For her part, Harry looked genuinely amused at his nervousness and she was smiling at him.

"Yes, Neville…?"

He coughed a couple of times to clear the croakiness away from his voice and continued, his fingers practically shaking as he handed one of the invitations he held out to her. Confused, Harry took the card from him carefully, her green eyes immediately widening in excitement and surprise.

"Well…I was wondering if maybe…Uhm…You wanted to go to the Ball with me…?" He paused for a minute to gauge her reaction but just as Harry looked as though she was about to respond, he began adding in hastily. "You know, as friends of course! You don't have to worry about it being a date or anything, although it _could _be if you like! I don't mind – I mean! Uhm…It's a friends thing, I just—" He paled and began to wipe at the beads of sweat that had formed along his brow.

"I just thought that you might want to go _together, _I mean—"

Laughing, Harry reached over and placed a hand gently on his arm to placate him.

"I'd _love _to go with you, Neville…" She told him and at this, Neville's head suddenly snapped up and he looked at Harry with wide, astonished eyes. "R—really? You…You will? You'll go with me?"

His eyes bugged and he nearly blushed again in his excitement that Harry couldn't resist another laugh. She smiled at his reaction, slinging her bag strap carefully over her shoulder.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Neville…And it'll be fun." She nodded at him again and chuckled when he grinned widely at her, all but jumping up and down into the air in his growing excitement.

When he noticed that Harry was laughing _at _him and not actually _with _him, he blushed again but managed a good-natured grin. "Okay then… I'll see you tonight, okay? Sh—should I pick you up—"

Harry shook her head and chuckled, waving him away with a smile. "No, that's alright, I can meet you there instead. 7:30 okay with you?" She asked, causing Neville – who was already walking backwards at this point along the corridors just so he could keep talking to her – to nod slowly.

"Alright then, I'll meet you at the party around 7:30…So…Bye then!" He was about to turn back around but he ended up crashing into a row of trash bins instead and toppled rather ungracefully onto the floor. Harry hastily looked away at this in an attempt to hide her smile but she was unable to prevent the snort of laughter that escaped her lips. Unfortunately, Neville heard her laughing anyway.

Shaking his head furiously at himself and reddening even more as he shot to his feet, he forced out a laugh and waved at her again, turning quickly so she couldn't see his expression.

"Well…_See you!_" He sped off before Harry got the chance to say anymore and as she watched him go, she began to smile, already looking forward to that evening. It wasn't that she _liked _Neville as more than a friend, of course, she saw nothing remotely _romantic _in their friendship but that still didn't exclude the fact that she genuinely liked his company, and she really liked _him. _Plus, more importantly, the fact that they would be going to none other than the homecoming party of _Fleur Delacour – _her ultimate idol – truthfully, Harry could barely contain her excitement at the thought.

_This day may just get better, after all._

Still smiling as she finally shut the doors to her locker once more, a brief movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned toward it – only to gasp and wince in surprise when she was immediately met with a news tabloid floating right against her face and smacking her.

_**SHMACK!**_

_"Ow! Bloody hell—" _Snatching the offending piece of newspaper from the air and glaring at it, she glanced around quickly to check who had sent it and was surprised to see none other than the Terrible Trio – Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis – headed right for her, all three girls with matching sneers on their carefully made-up faces. When they reached her and as soon as they were within reach of the tabloid, Daphne snatched it from Harry again and held it even higher.

"Did you already see _this, _Potter?" She unfolded the newspaper and flung it at Harry again, allowing the black-haired teenager to catch a glimpse of the photo on the front page for the first time.

There she was, none other than _Fleur Delacour, _splashed out right on the very front page that morning in a very flattering picture of her in her graduation dress, and she looked positively stunning. To her right, stood both her parents – proud and regal in their stature – and just underneath the picture, right before the start of the article, Harry was able to make out the newspaper's headlines.

_**Pureblood Heiress Returns to Take Over the Family's Multinational Business!**_

Harry's eyes widened even more as she read it, and she noticed that the article had gone even further by citing each and every one of Fleur's accomplishments – from being Valedictorian of SSPAM during her batch, London's Most Outstanding Student for three consecutive years, a model for about five International Modeling Agencies in Europe and topped off with being awarded SSPAM's very own Silver Ribbon – awarded to an exceptional lady each year for outstanding beauty and upbringing.

To the girls in SSPAM, strangely, winning the 'Silver Ribbon' was the equivalent of winning a 'nobel prize' and apparently, no other award exuded more honor than that. From what she heard, it was the award that most of the girls studying in SSPAM were aiming for – not their actual diploma.

Feeling significantly more inferior now that she had read the article about Fleur, Harry let out a dispirited sigh.

Much as she knew already, Fleur Delacour was nothing short of pure, absolute perfection.

"Yes, I know all about Fleur Delacour…But why are you three showing me this?" Harry asked them as she lifted her eyes from the newspaper and glared at the girls in front of her again.

Daphne, who was in the middle of the other two girls, just sneered at her in distaste while Millicent and Tracey both scoffed. Rolling her eyes, Tracey snatched the newspaper from Harry again and made a sound similar to a tutting noise, rolling the newspaper up and shoving it into her bag.

"We're showing you just exactly how much of an insignificant piece of _rubbish _you are as compared to her…And that you don't even match up to a single _strand _of hair on her head." Tracey snapped at her with a snide smile but even before Harry got a chance to react, Millicent chimed in.

"Not a _single _strand, you don't even match up to the soles on her _feet, _Potter—"

"You don't even deserve to breathe the same _air _as Fleur Delacour, you half-breed." Daphne agreed, butting right in after Millicent had spoken and nodding adamantly at her friends' words. "Just look at her, Potter…Look at her and then look at _yourself_…You…are _nothing…_" She drawled and still sneering, the Terrible Trio fell into a chorus of giggles when Harry's cheeks reddened at their words.

Furious at their blatant mockery and yet, knowing that everything they were saying was true, Harry shook her head and mumbled as she tried to push past them. "It was never a competition, I don't understand why you guys are even comparing me to her…I never intended to match up to her—"

Millicent cut her off again, and this time there was a look of pure disdain on her features.

"Oh, you can wipe that doe-eyed, innocent look off your face, Potter…We _know _what your intentions are, we _saw _you with him the other day." Her face scrunched up as though she were smelling something unpleasant but Harry just gaped at her, looking genuinely confused at her words.

"What? Saw me with who—huh? What are you even talking about—"

"With _Blaise Zabini, _that's who!" Daphne snapped at her and after digging through her purse again, the blonde pulled out another tabloid this time, unrolling it and shoving it into Harry's face. "_Here…_Have a look and see for yourself, Potter…See if you really can compare yourself to _that!_"

Harry heard the words coming from Daphne's mouth but none of them seemed to register that well until she was staring at the picture with her own eyes – a wide, _very _flattering picture of both Blaise Zabini and Fleur Delacour together on the front page of some society gossip tabloid, with a bold heading right underneath the colorful picture that spelled out the following words in big black letters.

_**WILL THERE BE A ZABINI-DELACOUR ENGAGEMENT? LET'S WAIT AND SEE!**_

Without meaning to, Harry paled and her eyes widened a bit more as she began skimming through the article, noting how the writers seemed to have come to an assumption on their own – based on recent pictures and rumors – that Blaise Zabini and Fleur Delacour were getting engaged.

Strangely, although Harry knew that it the news shouldn't have come as much of a shock to her or bothered her as it was doing now, she couldn't seem to speak for the next few minutes. It wasn't until Tracey actually addressed her again that she was able to find the voice to speak. Blinking and trying her best not to show the Terrible Trio that they bothered her, Harry looked blankly at her.

"I still don't know what you guys are implying—"

"You are full of _rubbish, _Potter." Tracey's eyes glinted maliciously and her sneer widened as she stepped closer towards Harry, backing the other girl up until she was leaning against her locker. "Like Daph and Milli said, we _saw _you the other day… Up there…In the tower…" Her face twisted into another unpleasant scowl and when she couldn't seem to continue, Millicent took over for her.

"You were making eyes at Blaise." She hissed accusingly, causing Harry's eyes to widen to the size of saucers as she backed away. Still in shock, she sputtered at the three girls in her horror.

"I—I wasn't making eyes at Blaise—"

"_Save it, Potter." _Daphne rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder in disgust. "You have absolutely no _right _to be speaking with Blaise, absolutely _no _right!" She growled and approached Harry again, towering over the smaller girl and causing Harry to gulp and step back. "You have no right talking to him, how dare you speak to him, how dare you approach him, how dare you even _look _at him, Potter, _how dare you?"_ She screeched, causing Harry's eyes to bulge out in shock.

"I—I wasn't—" Harry bit her lip, unsure of whether she should be insulted or be amused.

"How can you even _think _of yourself as worthy to be with Blaise, how dare you, Potter? You don't even deserve to be in the same _room _as him, you disgust us! Petty, ambitious half-breeds like you are the reason our parents send us to this exclusive school in the first place! So we can get away from common, desperate people just like _you!" _Tracey added as an afterthought, giving Harry a glare.

"_Our _parents…Our _families—"_ Millicent paused just long enough so she can give Harry a derogatory, self-righteous smile. "—send us to this school so we can be perfect matches for the heirs of Europe's most powerful pureblood families one day…heirs like the S-4…heirs that are of the same social caliber as _us…_" She held her chin up higher, as though she was trying to uphold herself. "And we perfect ourselves everyday – our looks, our talents, our etiquette, our magic, _everything _– so that one day, we may be the perfect wives for men like the S-4…their perfect, female counterparts." She finished her tirade with a sigh, smiling to herself at the thought before she sneered at Harry again.

"And having girls like _you _around here, Potter…Well, let's just say, it kind of ruins the setting." She added, causing Daphne and Tracey to giggle loudly behind her. With another wide, fake smile, Daphne let out a sigh of feigned exasperation and gave Harry a last look that was dripping with pity.

"A sad truth, my dear, but truth nevertheless…You should know your place from now on." Daphne threatened, narrowing her eyes again at Harry before she turned and began to walk away.

Despite herself, Harry's hands were beginning to tighten in anger and she finally snapped.

"I am _not _after Blaise Zabini, I have absolutely no _interest _in any of those snooty jerks! I think they're the vilest, most disgusting creatures to ever walk the face of this bloody—_HEY!"_

Harry's angry tirade fell short and her eyes flashed in anger when Tracey had reached forward and snatched the invitation she still held from her hands, holding it up to the light to squint at it. Then, after gasping and reading that the invitation had been sent out to _Neville Longbottom_ and his apparent _'date', _the Terrible Trio all glanced at each other before bursting into simultaneous giggles.

"Oh _Merlin!" _

The three girls continued to fall all over themselves in their hilarity and Harry just seethed at them as she snatched the invitation from their hands, shoving it angrily into her bag. She tried to shove past them a couple of times but to no avail and she ended up having to wait until all three of them had gotten over their mirth long enough to address her. It was Daphne who managed to speak up first and still stifling her giggles, she smirked widely at Harry, batting her eyes at the other girl.

"Well, well…It would seem as though we were mistaken, girls…Perhaps Harry _isn't _after Blaise Zabini or any of the S-4 after all…" Her smirk widened as she gestured again to the invitation Harry had shoved into her bag. "It seems she's more interested in…whilst lower in quality, a pureblood heir nonetheless to suit her standards…Oh well, we wish you and Longbottom all the best then, Potter." She smiled sweetly at her, raising Harry's hackles even further at the mocking tone of her voice.

"Neville is _ten times _the wizard those S-4 jerks are!" Harry yelled at them but by this time, it was obvious that the Terrible Trio was no longer listening and was beginning to walk away.

"Come on, girls…Let's leave Potter alone to daydream about Longbottom." Millicent drawled as she, Daphne and Tracey laughed again, smiling sweetly at her as they walked away. Unable to do anything else, Harry watched them go, her features fuming with rage as she literally had to clench her fists just to keep herself from grabbing her wand and hexing the three girls.

Just as they reached the corner, she thought she saw what almost looked like Tracey giving Millicent and Daphne a discreet wink before they had turned around again to address her.

"Just don't show up at the party in a complete _formal _attire like the idiot you are, Potter. Not that I care about _you, _of course, but I most certainly wouldn't want to offend Fleur at all since it's _her _party." Tracey wrinkled her nose as she inspected Harry's rumpled school robes with a hint of disdain.

Blinking at what the other girl said, the anger on Harry's face gave away briefly to confusion.

"Huh? But I thought the party was formal—"

"Haven't you been paying attention at _all, _Potter? The theme has been changed! It's a _casual _party, Fleur wanted something a bit more informal for her homecoming. Ugh. Honestly, you're such a naïve twit." Tracey rolled her eyes at Harry's question and turned away again. "Come on, you two!"

Daphne and Millicent smirked at each other when they saw Harry looking confused at their words. Just before the Terrible Trio had turned the corner, they turned to look at her one last time, watching as the green-eyed girl inspected her uniform in thought. When they saw that Harry had shrugged in defeat, Tracey met Daphne and Millicent eyes with a wide, evil smirk.

"She bought it."

Her two friends giggled and Daphne gave her a wink as they headed towards their classroom.

"You are _so _bad, Trace."

* * *

**START OF FLASHBACK**

Harriet sighed as she was met with Ginny, Hermione and even Mrs. Weasley's cringing faces, all three women staring at her and considering amongst themselves whether or not Harry's outfit was suitable enough for Fleur's party. Since it was a casual event, she had opted to go for something more simple yet still classy – a white long-sleeved, turtle-neck sweater worn over her favorite pair of dark brown khakis. Her hair, which she usually pulled up into a ponytail in school, had been left free to frame her features and she had allowed Hermione to put a hint of make-up on her face, just for accents.

They had taken _hours _just to get her ready up to this point but even now, when Harry glanced at her watch again and gave the three women a pointed glare, they shushed back at her.

"It's…_missing _something, Harry." Ginny finally decided after staring at Harry for another three minutes.

Trudging over to Harry's bedside table, she took a pair of a simple pair of barrettes. "Here, wear these."

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley helped Harry to put the barrettes through her hair and once they were done, with the barrettes gleaming in place, all three women smiled and finally nodded.

"There, _much _better, Ginny, you were right." Mrs. Weasley chuckled at them both before adding with a soft, proud smile. "She looks very beautiful but simple…Just the way she is." She chuckled a bit when Harry seemed to have taken a liking to her words and the black-haired girl blushed in response.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." She smiled back but ended up wincing again when Hermione had rushed over and yanked her into a bone-crushing hug. Laughing and rolling her eyes at her best friend's unnecessary excitement, she patted the brunette gently before slowly pulling away from her.

"It's a _casual_ party, 'Mione…Not a wedding…It's nothing, I'll probably be back before 11." She tried to reassure them but to her surprise , Mrs. Weasley just glared at her and shook her head adamantly in response. Instead, the Weasley matriarch tutted and began shoving her out the doors.

"Harriet Jamie Potter, you will do _no such _thing, don't be silly!" She ignored Hermione and Ginny smirking at the scene and continued to push Harry towards the exit, grabbing a coat and a pair of boots from the closet and piling them onto the black-haired girl's arms. "Now, Neville is a _very _nice young man and I am _sure _he will be the perfect gentleman in bringing you home, don't you _dare _come back any earlier than 12, do you hear me?" She threatened with a mock-stern glare directed at her.

For her part, Harry just blinked and sputtered at her in a mixture of shock and amusement.

"E—er, sure, Mrs. Weasley, I'll try—" She was cut off when Mrs. Weasley spoke again and this time, she had reached forward and cupped both of Harry's cheeks in hers in gentle affection. "Ohhh, my darling little girls, all growing up so fast and now going off to these parties…" She began to sniff after she said this but upon noticing that Harry was trying to hide her smile, she quickly turned away.

"Oh but don't mind me now, dear, just go on and enjoy your party alright? _Enjoy yourself, do you hear?"_ She added just as she was trying to hide another sniff but again, Harry laughed softly and before Mrs. Weasley could turn away, she had already pulled the older woman into a tight hug.

Mrs. Weasley looked surprised at first but she eventually returned the hug.

To the side of the room, Hermione and Ginny watched the scene in amusement, both leaning against the wall with their arms crossed.

"Mom…" Ginny complained as she rolled her eyes, striding over to the two of them. "You'll have to let Harry go now so she can leave…Otherwise, she might be late for the party." She reminded, playfully shoving them apart and Hermione laughed at them before she handed Harry her purse.

"Go on, have fun. And don't you _dare _listen to what those girls say for one minute, Harry, just enjoy yourself! You've earned it." Hermione reminded her just as she approached the front doors. She paused just as she got there, however, and turned to give the three women one last, nervous smile.

"Wish me luck that I don't do anything embarrassing."

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**

* * *

**

That was _hours _ago_._

Now, as Harry found herself walking up the steps leading to the large, marble front doors of the Delacour Estate, she let out a soft, nervous breath. The long walk itself, leading here, had been an absolutely gorgeous sight already and true enough, the minute she had stepped into the Delacours' large, luxurious estate, she felt as though she was transported into a completely different dimension.

The mansion, though not as big as Malfoy Manor, was probably ten times the size of their own house at the Weasleys and currently, it was enchanted with bright, magical lights for Fleur's return. From where Harry was standing just at the bottom of the steps leading to the entrance hall, she could already make-out the sounds of faint laughter and music and so, with a sigh, she steadied herself.

_Just go in there, Harry, what are you afraid of?_

Nodding to herself and steeling her nerves, Harry took a deep breath and finally pushed through the front doors, freezing for a couple of seconds as she was greeted with blinding white lights when she had entered. Squinting and looking around the room in confusion, she thought she heard a couple of gasps and a few sniggers here and there but it didn't actually register in her head until her vision had cleared and when it finally did, she gasped softly, realizing what they were all laughing at.

_OH. BLOODY. BLEEDING. HELL._

Her eyes widening to the size of tennis balls, Harry blanked out for a few seconds and stared, wide-eyed, at the sight of about eighty to almost a hundred pureblooded witches and wizards all staring at her with disbelieving glares –and all of them were in proper _formal _dress robes and gowns.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!_

Unable to do anything else, Harry continued to curse herself frantically in her head as she glanced back down at her wrongly chosen outfit again, her cheeks coloring to a dark shade of magenta. Around her, she heard a couple more whispers and the sound of faint laughter coming from the corner of the Hall. However, just as she had managed to convince herself to turn around quickly and bolt out of there, a voice to her right suddenly caught her attention, and she jumped in surprise.

"_Harry! _You made it, great! And you look—_wow—_uhm…" Neville's face had quickly gone from a bright, friendly smile to a slightly hesitant grimace and he stared at her in shock for a few moments, blinking as though trying to reassess the situation. Then, when he noticed the way Harry was blushing horribly and was trying _very _hard not to show him her humiliation, his eyes softened in concern.

"Oh Harry, I didn't mean that, don't worry about it—"

Blushing darker and hastily looking away from him so he couldn't see the glistening of humiliated tears in her eyes, Harry managed a forced laugh and pretended to wave the matter away.

"No, no, I'm not, I'm fine! Haha, I—I'm a little…_mortified…_to be honest but it's all good, it's funny – haha, how stupid of me." She rushed out, interrupting through his apologies as she backed away quickly and began weaving her way through the crowd towards the very corner of the room.

He followed her easily and when she got there, just a few feet away from the refreshment table, Harry skimmed her eyes very quickly around the large ballroom area until she caught sight of Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, and Tracey Davis not too far away. The three girls had been giggling when she noticed them and upon seeing Harry's narrowed, furious glare at them, the Terrible Trio burst out into laughter again, waving smugly at her and looking very pleased with themselves.

_Of course…I should have known…I can't believe I fell for it like an idiot!_

Her face still beet-red, Harry tore her eyes away from them when Daphne had begun sneering at her and turned her attention back to Neville's rushed apologies again, listening to his rushed voice.

"—look, _no worries, _Har_…_This is probably my fault, I probably forgot to tell you that the attire was formal, I'm sorry." Neville looked genuinely guilty now when he finally noticed the number of stares and derisive sneers they were receiving from all the other purebloods gathered in the Hall.

Although the number of stares she was receiving seemed to have dwindled _now _that she had safely hidden herself away and that the guests had gotten bored of making fun of her, there were _still _a number of occasional laughs and raised eyebrows from some witches nearby and she sighed, shaking her head. Glancing back miserably at Neville and taking the offered goblet of juice from his hands, Harry managed a glum smile and finally allowed herself to give him a small, reassuring smile.

"Eh, it's not like I'll make things any _less _embarrassing for myself anyway by leaving now, right? Damage has been done anyhow…Might as well enjoy the rest of the night." She grumbled at him, causing Neville's shoulders to relax slightly in obvious relief before he gave her a grateful smile.

"Right, er…H—Harry, look—" Neville looked a little hesitant as he approached her, noting how her informal attire clashed horribly with his formal dress robes. "—I really _am _sorry, I should have told you about it in advance, I feel really horrible. If you want to go someplace else, I'll understand—"

At this, Harry finally managed a genuine laugh at him and she shook her head, giving him a comforting smile. "It was _my _own fault, Neville, not yours, it's alright…Let's just enjoy the night…Alright?" Her smile easily broke off into a chuckle when he grinned at her, nodding excitedly.

"You're absolutely right! Look, why don't I make it up to you? Let me start by getting you another drink, what do you want?" He asked, gesturing to the bar across the Hall. Before Harry could even answer him, however, the pureblood heir had already excused himself and walked off, leaving Harry staring awkwardly at his retreating back and glancing hesitantly around her at the other guests.

"Uh—uhm, _sure…_I'll have…_anything…_" She pretended to cough and glanced around again, taking that time to admire her surroundings and the absolute grandeur of the Delacour Mansion. Around her, beautifully crafted ice statues were scattered around the area, enchanted so that the ice glistened like crystal and did not melt even against the room's warm temperature. A handful of the Delacours' house-elves were circling the hall, passing around some wine and other refreshments.

Just by the very center of the large hall, Harry was able to make out a slight, circular elevation in the floor, similar to a small platform, and around it, some of SSPAM's senior students had gathered. Off to the very edge of the room, just by the entrance, she saw a large, rectangular table that was piled with extravagant homecoming presents for Fleur, all ranging from different shapes and sizes.

With wide eyes, Harry had just about realized how embarrassing it was that she hadn't had the time – nor the _money_, for that matter – to bring a present for Fleur when a sudden round of cheering and soft applause filled the large hall, drawing her attention instantly. Raising her eyebrows, she had to lean upwards slightly on her toes so she could see over the crowd of heads in front of her.

_Wha—who are they cheering for? Is that Fleur, has she arri—OH._

Suddenly, the excitement and curiosity that had initially been inscribed on Harry's face transformed into a scowl when she saw who all the guests were cheering for and she made face.

_Ugh…Merlin, not them again._

The _Serpent Four_, sleek, elegantly polished, and looking just as handsome as ever in their dress robes, had arrived. As though in unspoken coordination, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Viktor Krum strolled casually into the large main hall amidst a soft chorus of girlish squeals and hushed whispers and as always, the sight of the popular boys drew in a wave of stares from the women all around the room. When the three boys stopped just as they reached the middle platform, another chorus of cheers and greetings broke out again, with a faint chant echoing in the background.

"S-4! S-4! S-4! S-4! S-4!"

"Oh you have _got _to be kidding me." Harry mumbled under her breath in exasperation. Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as Malfoy, Nott and Krum all smirked at the undivided attention they were receiving and nodded at the crowd in acknowledgment.

_Give me a break._

Harry would have actually been glad to look away at this point but to her indignation – of all the nerve – the S-4 added even further to her exasperation when the three had paused and agreed to pose when one of the reporters had asked if she could take their photograph for the Daily Prophet.

_Of all the—this is supposed to be FLEUR's big night, not their's! _

Harry gritted her teeth in growing irritation, choosing to swallow her anger and slowly look away. A couple more minutes then passed when the three boys had begun to walk towards her direction to grab a few drinks. Harry panicked, her eyes darting quickly around for a place to hide.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, please don't let them see me like this! I'd better get out of here— _Gulping, she was just about to duck down and sneak away past them behind the table so they wouldn't notice her but fortunately, she didn't have to because soon enough, just as she was getting ready to crawl away, another smatter of applause brought everyone's attention back to the front of the room. The S-4 froze instantly, grinning as they turned to watch the stunning couple that entered.

_Now what, who are they – Oh my._

Harry followed their gazes easily, her own eyes widening and a brief mixture of both admiration and crestfallen disappointment crossing her features as she recognized the famous couple.

"Ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards, esteemed Lords and Ladies of Europe!"

Staring dazedly, Harry barely registered the voice of the announcer over all the whispers.

"Presenting Mistress Fleur Evangeline Delacour, accompanied by Master Blaise Elliot Zabini!"

Another round of applause broke out but Harry barely reacted and she just watched, mesmerized, as Blaise – looking extremely handsome in his specially tailored robes – led a breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely _glowing _Fleur Delacour down the stairs towards the Main Hall.

_Merlin's beard…She's so beautiful…She couldn't possible be real. _Harry gawked for a few moments in stunned admiration and watched, with awestruck eyes, as the very girl who had been her role model for the last few years strode down the stairs toward her, looking like the very image of beauty, grace, and practically just about everything a pureblooded heiress was _supposed _to be.

_Merlin's beard…Is there even a single flaw in her? _Harry's jaw was slightly open in admiration.

Fleur was smiling at everyone as she walked into the room and even from a distance, Harry could see that the smile was genuine – perhaps one of the only genuine smiles in the room altogether. However, when Fleur and Blaise had passed where she was standing to get to the center of the room, her face fell and the admiration she felt began to give way to now to a new feeling of disappointment.

_Over what? Disappointment over what? You couldn't have honestly liked Blaise Zabini, you barely even knew him, Potter! And besides, how can you ever match up against Fleur Delacour? _Harry winced to herself and flicked her eyes to the beautiful couple again, watching wistfully as Blaise led Fleur gently to the middle of the Hall and then stood to her side, allowing her to address her guests.

_ They're perfect for each other._ Harry thought longingly as she watched them, not at all missing the tender way in which Blaise was looking at Fleur as she continued her introductory speech.

_And he obviously cares very much for her, I can tell…Any idiot can see that._

Harry sighed again and was just about to help herself to a long, satisfying drink of champagne when a sudden drawl came from behind, breaking her thoughts. Eyebrows fused and eyes slightly narrowed in irritation, she found herself face-to-face with none other than a red-gowned Daphne Greengrass – who was also accompanied by Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode in gowns of pink.

"Well, well…Potter…Don't you look _gorgeous_!" Daphne's smile was particularly nasty as she addressed Harry and even from afar, Harry could already see the malicious glint in her eyes.

All three girls were smirking widely at her as though their Christmas had come early.

"Ugh, you three…What do you _want?"_ Harry grumbled, her face scrunched up into a scowl.

Growling under her breath, she turned around more fully now to face their laughing faces and gave them a pointed glare. "Yes, yes, you've had your fun, I look ridiculous. Now just leave me be." She turned around to ignore them again but this time, Daphne grabbed her by her upper arm and whirled her back around, flicking her eyes pointedly to the scene of Fleur and Blaise not too far away.

"You see that, Potter…?" Her smirk widened when Harry's eyes had inadvertently followed her gaze to the tender scene several feet away and again, as expected, Harry's eyes began to dim sadly.

"Yeah, so?" Harry retorted defensively, yanking her arm away from Daphne in annoyance.

Giggling, Tracey Davis answered her this time and she leaned over Daphne's shoulder, giving Harry a saccharine smile. "Don't they just make the most perfect, sweetest couple? What do you think, Potter? Don't they?" She smiled again and watched gleefully as Harry's cheeks flushed red.

"Y—yes, they do…Just leave me alone, you three! I've had about enough of your games—"

Millicent gripped her arm again, easily keeping Harry in her place by pointing her wand at her.

"What's the rush, Potter…? Can't you stand a little sophisticated mingling every now and then?" She sniggered when she saw the crestfallen and utterly humiliated look on Harry's face.

Sighing, Harry felt her face beginning to heat up in embarrassment at all the attention their theatrics were drawing. She began to shrug them off even more, hurrying to get away.

"Just leave me alone!" Harry grunted as she tried to push past them again but unfortunately, Millicent was bigger than she was and she ended up wincing as she was shoved back again.

"I _said, _don't be rude, Potter." Millicent's eyes narrowed and she gave Harry a nasty sneer. "After all this trouble we went through to seek you out for company, you treat us this way? Tsk." She pretended to shake her head at Harry in disdain, causing her two friends to giggle loudly in unison.

Fuming but unable to do anything for fear of making a scene, Harry began to grit her teeth.

* * *

_What the bloody hell is going on over there?_

Arching an eyebrow in annoyance, Draco flicked his gaze lazily over to where he could hear a group of girls talking very loudly amidst Fleur's homecoming speech, and he growled in anger.

_Don't they have any manners? _

Narrowing his eyes and muttering under his breath about 'stupid girls with no class and poor upbringing', Draco was just debating on whether or not he should address the distraction himself when, to his confusion, Neville Longbottom suddenly showed up and joined the large group as well.

A bit more intrigued now, Draco squinted his eyes for a bit and watched, with a bit of confusion etched onto his face, as Neville appeared to fall into a rather heated argument with the small group of girls. Then, to Draco's further astonishment, he watched as Neville gaped in horror when one of the girls – Draco finally recognized her now as _Daphne Greengrass – _had suddenly grabbed one of the goblets Neville was holding in his hand and splashed it rudely right into his face.

_Nice one, Greengrass. _Draco smirked when he saw that, genuinely amused by the scene.

Still chuckling, he was just about to turn back to listen to the rest of Fleur's speech again when a brief glimpse of bright emeralds caught his gaze. Frowning, he inadvertently turned to stare at the scene again and his smirk faded instantly into a scowl as he watched, eyes narrowing as Millicent, Daphne and Tracey began to advance upon a smaller, though stubbornly glaring, Harriet Potter.

_What do those bumbling idiots think they're doing? _

Unconsciously, Draco began to sneer to himself and his eyes began to harden into a dark, steely gray. 

_No one bullies Potter but me!_

Gritting his teeth, Draco's hands clenched tightly into angry fists and he was seething as he watched Millicent, Daphne and Tracey shove Potter away again, causing the dark-haired girl to stumble backwards slightly a few steps before she snapped back at them again and held her ground.

"Just leave me alone!" She had shouted and this time, nearly more than half of the party's guests had long stopped listening to Fleur and were staring at the scene instead. Even Fleur herself had stopped talking now and she and Blaise were already moving back down the elevated platform and heading quickly to where Harry was at the very end of the main hall.

"_Bugger off!" _

Harry's voice had risen into an angry shout now and both she and Neville were struggling vehemently to push past the crowd that had gathered around them when, to both teenagers' mortification, Tracey had pointed her wand directly at Harry and snapped out a very familiar spell.

_"Wingardium Leviosa!" _

Confused, Harry's eyebrows shot up and she turned around briefly to check what Tracey had done but unfortunately, it was too late. From where he was standing, Draco had seen what Tracey had meant to do instantly and instinctively – he didn't really understand _why _– his jaw clenched and he began moving towards them, his fingers already clenched around his wand. He was already a few steps away from the group when Harry realized that there was a goblet of wine floating above her head. Without warning, the goblet tipped over, spilling dark red liquid all over her hair and clothes.

Draco froze in place, his eyes blazing when Daphne, Tracey and Millicent burst into laughter.

_Why those stupid, insignificant idiots—_

The S-4 leader was just about ready to shout orders of his own to Crabbe and Goyle nearby about hauling the three girls out of the Hall when, to Draco's shock, another person had intervened before he could – and suddenly, he found that his words had died even before they had left his lips.

"…Are you alright?"

As soon as he recognized the voice, Draco felt the unmistakable jealousy boiling in his veins.

* * *

"…Are you alright?"

Her eyes burning with humiliation, Harry fought back the tears that had gathered in her eyes as she forced her gaze up from her shoes, fighting desperately to see clearly.

_Blaise?_

Without realizing it, she began to blush and hastily tried to turn away to hide her face.

_Merlin's bloody beard, did he see everything? Did he hear everything? Oh bugger, look at me; he must think I'm a complete idiot wearing this! Say something, say something, Potter! _Laughing nervously to herself, Harry shook her head at him and somehow managed a soft, shaky reply.

"I'm fine, Blaise…I was just talking to—" Harry suddenly paused when she realized the closeness of Blaise's face, _inches _away from her own. He was leaning down slightly to meet her height and several strands of dark hair had fallen into his eyes. He was looking very closely at her, peering into her features.

_Oh…Merlin._

"Potter…?" Blaise's eyebrows fused together slightly but his expression remained impassive.

They both froze as they stared into each other's eyes, one pair filled with embarrassment and the other filled with an indecipherable sense of amused curiosity that Harry couldn't quite place. Still staring and unknowingly blushing because of his nearness, Harry had almost completely forgotten that her face and robes were still drenched in wine altogether when Blaise suddenly spoke again, drawing her attention to the pristine white handkerchief that he was holding and raising gently up to her face.

"Here…" With a small, slightly lazy smile, Blaise began wiping at her cheek, his dark, intense eyes never leaving her face.

Turning completely red, Harry could only nod wordlessly and hesitantly stepped back, her eyes dazed as she stared up into Blaise's handsome face. She was only vaguely aware that the crowd of guests around them had all stopped whatever it was they were doing and were now staring at them.

Even Neville, who up until that point had been trying to draw the Terrible Trio's attention away from Harry, stood still several feet behind Blaise and was watching the scene with wide, shocked eyes. Fleur stood right behind Neville, her beautiful face creased into a genuinely curious expression that was directed towards Harry. To her right, the rest of S-4 stood staring – all three pureblooded heirs now closely observing the developing scene with something akin to amusement dancing in their eyes.

At this observation, Harry couldn't help scoffing as she mentally corrected herself.

Well, _Nott _and _Krum _looked amused – Malfoy just looked angry.

But then again, Draco Malfoy _always _looked like he wanted to choke the life out of her so Harry didn't pay him very much attention. The Terrible Trio stood off to the side right beside the S-4, and much to her glee, they were gaping at her, watching as Blaise handed her his handkerchief again.

"Here… Use it to dry your hair." He told her quietly and, still ignoring all the stares they were receiving from everyone else, Blaise flicked his wand over her clothes with a simple drying charm. When he was done, he pocketed his wand again and turned to her with another blank but soft gaze.

Harry felt the difference in the warm, dry clothing instantly and after letting out a sigh of relief, she glanced back up and smiled uncertainly at Blaise, giving him back his handkerchief.

He shook his head and quirked his lips upward into a semblance of a soft smile as he pushed her hand gently away.

"Hold onto it for me."

Blushing, Harry retracted her hand quickly and closed her fingers around the soft, fabric.

"Thank you." Harry told Blaise softly, her eyes soft as she looked up into his face.

Unknown to her, Draco had stiffened a couple of steps behind her and was now glaring heatedly at the back of her head.

Blaise said nothing else after and he just stared curiously at her for a couple more minutes – as though he was genuinely trying to read her actions. Then, just as he was about to leave, that was when the crowd around them seemed to have stirred to life and without warning, the Terrible Trio began to advance on Harry again, swooping in on her like an eagle to its prey. As Harry was bracing herself for another verbal assault, she was surprised when Fleur had chosen that moment to call out.

"Daphne! Tracey! Millicent!" Fleur's exclaimed cheerfully as she stepped out from behind a couple more guests and approached the three gawking girls with a charming, beautiful smile.

Like a flash, the three girls were by Fleur's side instantly and their faces broke out into bright, wide smiles. They practically bounced as they skidded over to her and after giving her the customary kiss to the cheek, they pulled back and watched as Fleur smiled again, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Over Millicent's shoulder, Fleur met Harry's confused gaze for a split second and strangely, Harry thought she actually saw the blonde girl _wink _at her before Fleur turned to Daphne and the others again. Keeping a perfectly straight look on her face, Fleur met Daphne, Millicent and Tracey's overly saccharine expressions with a similar one of her own and began to take a few steps backward.

"I'm so pleased to have you girls here with me today, it's been so long since I've last seen you three." She gushed and when Daphne, Millicent and Tracey all giggled and returned her exclamation with squeals of their own, Fleur's grin widened a bit more and she took another careful step backward.

"We're _honored _that you would even _invite _us! That dress looks so beautiful on you, it must be so expensive! You look gorgeous! Lavender silk goes really well on you!" Tracey enthused, watching as Fleur took one last step away from the group and grinned slightly, pointing her wand right at them.

"In that case…" Fleur's grin turned particularly sarcastic and her long lashes fluttered as she narrowed her eyes. "Allow me to give you three girls the proper greeting that you deserve."

With that, the confusion on Harry's face immediately gave way to a genuinely amazed laugh as Fleur flicked her wand once, immediately showering the Terrible Trio with a waterfall of gushing, cold water, drenching the three girls from head to toe. Screaming and screeching indignantly, Daphne, Millicent and Tracey all careened backwards and ended up crashing against each other, causing all three of them to topple ungracefully to the floor. Then, after shooting the hysterically laughing crowd of purebloods gathered around the scene a miffed, indignant glare, the Terrible Trio shot Fleur one last look of pure disbelief before they scampered out of there, loud laughter trailing right behind them.

Still gaping and pretty much laughing at the scene, Harry looked up and watched as Theodore and Viktor both added injury by shouting out a few more derogatory comments, fueling a bit more sniggers from the crowd. Once they were gone and Harry had glanced back over to Fleur again, she was surprised to see that the silver-blonde girl was looking back at her with a warm, genuine smile.

And for the first time since she had arrived that night, Harry smiled back.

* * *

**A/N: **ACK! That chapter didn't quite turn out as well as I might have liked, but I hope you guys enjoyed it all the same. *sigh* Anyway, I am SO TERRIBLY SORRY for the very long delay of this chapter, but I've been busy with a lot of other arrangements. Mostly work, actually. Haha. It sucks when you're part of the corporate world, it sucks out all the creativity in you, believe me.

**Next Chapter: **Fleur lends Harry a gown, a little Draco/Harry/Blaise jealousy and perhaps a little snogging? Hahaha. But you'll all have to wait and see! Till next time! :D

**MORE? PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	10. The Prince and the Frog

**Title: A Declaration of War **

**Author: **slytherin-nette

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, Hana Yori Dango or any of the characters and events you recognize from both fandoms in this story. Everything written is purely for entertainment.

**A/N:** I have two words for everyone: **WRITER'S BLOCK. **It's a killer disease that afflicts the best of us, and sadly, I've had the worst case of it these past months. If it were really up to me, I would write chapters and chapters of stories for you guys all day. But sadly, with the pressures of real life, work and stress and even relationships, you just have to learn to balance it all. But hey, at least the next chapter's finally here! Thank you so much to all those who continue to support me and encourage me to keep writing this story! Hope you all enjoy this one! :D

* * *

**Chapter 10 – The Prince and the Frog**

Harriet tried her best to keep her jaw from hanging open as Fleur led through the many twists and turns of their estate, pausing only to turn around and usher her forward with a smile. When they reached the top floor, where presumably Fleur's bedroom was, the blonde girl turned around again and smiled at her.

"Come." She took Harry's trembling hand and led her through the large double doors. "We must get you out of those clothes." Fleur told her gently but before Harry could get a chance to respond, the blonde had already pushed the doors open and Harry was gaping yet again at the sight of the massive, elegant bedroom.

The room was a beautiful array of white and lavender, with silk and satin curtains all around and nothing but pristine white furniture adorning the large area. Fleur's bed was a luxurious queen-sized four-poster that sat right at the end of the room, adorned with white curtains that curled up along the bedposts. Her closet – the doors to which was situated on the room's other side – was almost as large as her bedroom itself and when Fleur led Harry into the large area, she caught the unmistakable scent of mint and lavender.

"Your room…is…" Harry's breath caught when she walked into Fleur's closet and caught sight of the rows and rows of beautiful dresses, gowns, and shoes that lined her walls. "…_amazing…_" She breathed out loud, unaware of her starstruck expression until Fleur had caught it and had given her a soft, amused smile.

"All given to me by my father actually, Harry…" She answered with a chuckle before pulling Harry into the room again and gesturing for her to take a seat by the end of the bed. "Now, first things first…You need a proper gown, we can't have you going back out there in those casual clothes now." Fleur added cheerfully, much to Harry's further embarrassment as the older girl began walking to her closet at the end of the room.

Her eyes growing wide in surprise, Harry hastily jumped up from the bed again and rushed toward her.

"No, Fleur! Y—you don't have to do that, I'd be horribly embarrassed! I can just wear these clothes for a few more hours, I'm about to leave soon anyway—" Harry stammered but Fleur stopped her again with a small tutting sound before she shook her head and laughed. "Harry, _please…_You have nothing to be embarrassed about with me, sweetie. I heard what those three girls said to you, it was horrible of them to trick you the way they did." Fleur ignored the rest of Harriet's protests and turned around toward her closet again.

"At least allow me to make it up to you by lending you one of my gowns for the rest of the night. Now, don't worry…We're more or less the same size." She quipped with a wink at the dark-haired girl, causing Harriet to laugh weakly in spite of herself and fall back down onto the edge of Fleur's bed in speechless stupor.

"A—are you sure? Really, I'm fine, I'm—"

"Shush now." Fleur told her firmly, glancing over her shoulder and giving her a pointed look again before she flicked her gaze back towards the inside of her large, walk-in closet. From the bed, Harriet watched helplessly as Fleur began rifling through her massive closet of designer gowns in earnest – unaware of the way Harriet was gaping over Fleur's shoulder at how her closet was probably thrice the size of Harriet's bedroom.

While Fleur was busy, Harriet took that opportunity to glance around the rest of Fleur's bedroom again, her eyes widening even further when she noticed the rows of framed photographs on the table beside the bed. Fusing her eyebrows together, Harry reached over and took the largest framed photograph from the bedside table. It was a simple picture of a group of five children – four boys and one girl – and as Harriet stared at their grinning faces in the photograph, she couldn't help but gasp when she recognized who they were.

The blonde, pretty girl to the leftmost side of the photograph was obviously Fleur at a young age – perhaps seven or eight – and beside her, with their arms draped over her shoulder, stood three gap-toothed, goofily smiling boys who all looked so scarily familiar that for a long time, she gaped at the picture in disbelief.

_Oh Merlin…Is that…_ Harriet's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and mirth the minute she recognized none other than five-year-old versions of Draco Malfoy, Viktor Krum and Theodore Nott. The three S-4 members looked so deceivingly innocent and boyish that for a minute, Harry couldn't prevent the small smile that began tugging at the corner of her lips. Malfoy, in particular, looked as if he didn't have a care in the world in this photograph and briefly, Harriet wondered what it was that had made the S-4 leader grow up the way he did – far from the image of the innocent, brightly smiling blonde five-year-old in this photograph.

Sighing, Harriet moved her eyes across the picture again and she froze as soon as she recognized who the dark-haired kid at the very end of the picture was. At five-years-old, Blaise Zabini was far from the silent, brooding young man he was now. In fact, as Harry watched the magical photograph intently, she noticed that Blaise, like his three friends, was smiling, albeit more shyly, at the camera. Every now and then, his blue eyes would flick quickly to the side so he could watch Fleur laughing and giggling with the other three boys.

_So he loved her…Even then, didn't he…? _Harry realized sadly as she slowly set the photograph back down onto Fleur's bedside table and sat back down against the bed. Suddenly, she felt incredibly exhausted and she almost wanted to apologize to Fleur so she could leave. Unfortunately, Fleur was already turning around from the closet again and walking over towards her with a beautiful silk gown draped over her arm.

When she noticed Harry staring at the framed picture on the bedside table, a small smile suddenly lit up her face and she chuckled, carefully setting the gown down onto the bed beside Harry. "That was taken a couple of years ago…You see that shy, awkward boy beside me?" Fleur giggled affectionately as she followed Harry's gaze to the photograph. "That was Blaise when he was five...And Draco…And Theo and Viktor. Weren't they cute back then?" She laughed softly again and turned back to Harry's disbelieving expression.

At this, however, Fleur's eyes softened and she gave the other girl a small, sad smile. "They aren't horrible boys, Harry…I know they can seem difficult most of the time but really, you just have to understand how they were raised…" She began, sighing as she sat down onto the bed beside the dark-haired girl. "None of them even _had _any other people to interact with except each other…They don't have a normal person's understanding of what's acceptable outside the luxury of their world…" Smiling, Fleur reached over and took the framed photograph off the bedside table again, peering wistfully at Blaise's young, innocent face again.

"Especially Blaise…Before I met him, he wouldn't even talk to anyone except Draco, Theodore and Viktor…Everyone else thought he was autistic before we got him to speak out more." She added softly, setting the photograph back onto her bedside table. Then, she turned back to give Harry a small, sad smile.

An awkward silence fell upon the raven-haired teen for a few minutes as she tried to think of what to say to the older girl. Fortunately, before she could, Fleur had turned around again and smiled mischievously at her, holding up in her arms what appeared to be a _beautiful _emerald, strapless gown made entirely of silk. The ends of the gown, adorned with exquisite silver lace, flowing down gracefully until it would probably dangle a couple of inches above Harriet's knees. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful dress that Harriet had ever laid eyes on. Unsure of what to say, Harriet just stared back at Fleur in silent question, blushing uncertainly.

"That's a beautiful gown, Fleur…" She whispered with a small smile, watching as Fleur laid it gently on the bed beside Harry and walked toward her walk-in closet again, looking for a pair of matching shoes.

"I'm sure that it will look even _more _beautiful on you, Harry…" Fleur told her with a soft giggle but before Harry could correct her, she had pulled out a pair of shoes and placed it on the carpeted floor beside the bed. Tensing even further, Harry finally shot up from the bed and shook her head, giving Fleur a sheepish smile.

"Fleur, I can't borrow your stuff…It looks expensive! I might break them or get stains on them—"

"You know—" Fleur paused for a few seconds, breaking through Harry's protests. "—when I was in France, somebody once told me that a girl should always be wearing the best, most beautiful shoes…" Her eyes softened as she held the shoes back up and offered them to Harriet with a smile. "…because they will also take you to the most _beautiful _places…And you never know where you're going to end up next." She finished, unaware of the way Harriet's eyes were now soft and she was smiling back at Fleur in admiration.

_How can someone so…beautiful…smart…kind…and…perfect…exist? How can I even compete? _Harry felt a heavy sadness creeping up on her again as she stared wistfully at Fleur's beautiful, genuine smile again.

_Do I even 'want' to compete with her?_

Harry tried to ask herself this same question over and over and over again until Fleur finally stood back and offered a hand to her, ushering her into the dressing room. "Come now, let's not dally any longer." Fleur interrupted her softly as she reached over and gently pushed Harriet's tangled black locks out of her face.

"You will look absolutely _stunning _tonight, I promise. Let's make those silly S-4 boys stare and gape at you, shall we?" Fleur grinned mischievously at her and in spite of herself; Harriet could not prevent the smile that lit up her own face. Laughing, she nodded and took the gown from Fleur's offered hands.

* * *

Draco held back a sigh of frustration as he began tapping his foot impatiently against the marble floors of the large Delacour Ballroom. Around him, he purposely avoided the amused looks he was receiving from Theodore and Viktor who were seated in the similar wing-backed seats across from him. Blaise, on the other hand, was just staring blankly at the crowd of dancers in the middle of the ballroom with a stoic expression.

The four of them had been lounging near the large bar at the corner of the room and had been watching the party idly for the last half hour, and truth be told Draco was bored out of his wits. He couldn't _possibly _figure out why Fleur was taking so long getting Potter cleaned up upstairs but he seriously hoped they would finish up soon – if only for the fact that Fleur's party was pretty lifeless and boring without…well, Fleur.

_And the fact that you've been waiting for an excuse to talk to Potter since you saw her. _A snide voice in his head suddenly added but Draco just growled and shoved the thought away as quickly as it had appeared.

Draco refused to believe that Harriet Potter had any more of an impact on him than he had led himself to believe. He had just been initially attracted to her because she was the first person – _girl, even_ – to have ever fought back against him over anything, and Draco had never met such a headstrong person like her before.

Plus the fact that the annoying girl was beautiful of course, that certainly didn't help matters in his case and Draco found himself thinking about her more and more. And strangely, his thoughts weren't even always on the positive end either - sometimes he would fantasize about her lips, her eyes and her smile, other times he would sneer as he imagined utterly humiliating her in front of the entire SSPAM student population.

_Snap out of it, Malfoy! _Shaking his head furiously to clear his thoughts, Draco growled under his breath.

His fascination with Harriet Potter was bordering just beyond the brink of _obsession _and _abomination _and nowadays, Draco was finding it very difficult to differentiate between the two what he really felt. All he knew was that he had never felt like this with _anyone _before, and that alone was enough to intrigue him.

That green-eyed girl had definitely gotten under his skin – he just wasn't sure what that meant.

Keeping his gray eyes blank and narrowed, Draco allowed his cold glare to shift lazily around the large ballroom again, watching the dancers swaying gracefully along the dance floor in the center of the large room. He noticed that a group of giggling first year girls was standing off to the side near them, throwing coy glances at the S-4 every now and then but none of the four heirs acknowledged them or seemed interested.

When he realized that Blaise appeared to be inspecting the room around them in deep thought as well, Draco raised an eyebrow and turned to glare at him, noting the other boy's silent, thoughtful expression.

"Zabini." He began, waiting until Blaise's eyes had rested blankly on his before he continued. "Humor me for a minute here…Just what _exactly _do you have going on with Potter?" He drawled, deliberately ignoring the pointed smirk that Theodore and Viktor were sharing at his question. Without waiting for Blaise to answer him, he continued. "—you seem to be helping out that little half-breed a lot these days…I don't like it. I—"

"_Whoa." _

Annoyed at having been cut off, Draco turned to glare at Theodore and snapped.

"What? What is it now, what are you on about, Nott—"

The rest of Draco's carefully formed insult was cut short as both Theodore and Viktor had looked up and exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes growing wide and an expression of awe on their faces. Blinking and tearing his glare away from Blaise to follow their gaze, Draco saw what had distracted his two friends instantly and he too couldn't prevent his eyes from widening, as well as the blush that spread onto his pale cheeks.

_Whoa…_His throat went dry and for a minute, Draco lost all form of coherent thought altogether as he stared at the girl clad in an emerald silk gown who walking beside Fleur across the ballroom. The pair of them had been descending slowly down the grand staircase when Draco had seen them. As he watched them, Draco could barely tear his eyes away from the enchanting, black-haired, green-eyed beauty approaching him.

Her dark hair had been pulled up, styled into delicate curls and allowed to cascade down to frame her face perfectly. Even with the slightest hint of make-up accentuating her soft features, she looked _mesmerizing _and her eyes were practically glowing as Draco stared at those emerald orbs across the room. The gown she wore – emerald green and low-cut – was showing just enough of a hint of her bare shoulders and cleavage that she drew the stares of many males around the room. Her form was _perfect _– slender with soft, feminine curves that took Draco's breath away and made him long to have her lithe body pressed wantonly against his own.

Harriet Potter, was, without a doubt, the most stunning, most _beautiful _girl he had ever seen.

He had known from the very start that she was an attractive girl, of course. That bit was pretty obvious. And he had confirmed how attractive she was even more when he had abducted her and had dressed her up in jewels and an expensive black gown back in Malfoy Manor a couple of days ago. But _now, _combined with the softness and elegance of the gown that Fleur had picked out perfectly for her, Draco realized for the first time that Potter was _breathtaking _– she had just needed the right person to help her out of her shell.

_Merlin…_ Draco let out the breath that he had unknowingly been holding ever since Potter had entered the room and quickly turned to look at this three other best friends, suddenly frowning when he saw that Theodore , Viktor, and even Blaise were staring at Potter with admiration in their eyes. In fact, if Draco knew Blaise at all, he noticed that there was a strange softness in his eyes that he only ever saw him use for Fleur.

And that did not go well with Draco at all.

Scowling, he clenched his fists and he was just about to point this out to him when to his surprise, Blaise had stood up from his seat even before he could say anything. Then, before Draco, Theodore or Viktor could react, the Italian Heir was already walking over towards Fleur and Potter with a small smile on his face.

* * *

Harry tried to ignore the rapid, nervous pounding of her heart as she allowed Fleur to lead her by her hand to the very end of the ballroom where she knew the S-4 were waiting for them. Already, she could see the dozens of students' heads that turned to stare at her as they passed and this did nothing to ease her nervousness, causing her to bow her head down so she didn't have to meet their eyes. Chuckling, Fleur led her a few more steps ahead until they finally stopped a few feet in front of where Blaise was waiting for them.

As she sensed the Italian Heir looking intently at her, the blush on Harriet's cheeks darkened even further and she couldn't help casting her eyes down again, not wanting to see his reaction. Fleur, however, just looked between the two of them and smiled gently, looking up and directing her teasing comment to Blaise.

"Doesn't she look enchanting…? I've picked out the right gown, have I not?" She teased cheerfully, making Harry blush even more and look up shyly as Blaise answered with a slow nod and answering gaze.

"Indeed." He agreed quietly, his eyes still focused intently on Harry's fidgeting stance.

Harry slowly raised her eyes up from the floor and nervously met his, faltering slightly when Blaise held her gaze intensely for a long moment. To her surprise, he finally rewarded her with a small, affectionate smile.

"You look _beautiful._" He told her softly, his voice barely above a whisper but both Fleur and Harriet heard him perfectly. Looking back and forth between the two of them again, Fleur smiled at Blaise's admission for a few moments but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that went unnoticed by the two other teens.

Harriet, on the other hand, had tensed in surprise but she finally looked up again and managed a beautiful, genuine smile at him, her expression visibly brightening at Blaise's open compliment towards her.

"Thank you…" She answered him softly, still smiling and nodding at him in gratitude but Blaise just chuckled softly at her, taking a few more steps toward them and bending slightly to give them a slight bow.

* * *

_She's smiling…for him._

Draco felt a sickening lurch in the pit of his stomach as that single thought reverberated in his head and for a moment, he could do nothing else but watch as Harriet smiled at Blaise again – her eyes bright and a genuine look of happiness lighting up her beautiful features. He remembered an instance not too long ago during which he himself had asked her to smile at him like that, but she just screamed back at him in anger.

_"HOW THE HELL CAN I SMILE AT YOU?"_

Wincing, Draco cast the thought away as quickly as it had appeared in his head and he watched again as Blaise reached over and offered a hand to Harry with a smile, causing the Gryffindor to blush as she took it. He didn't understand why, but Draco suddenly felt a strange aching somewhere in his chest that caused him to tear his eyes away from the sight and clench his fists as he tried to figure out what he was doing wrong.

_If she can smile at Blaise…_Draco lifted his gaze again and stared at them with confused, hurt gray eyes.

_Then why can't she smile at me…?_

* * *

After Blaise had straightened himself back up, he smiled at Harry again and took one of her hands, turning it over and giving the back of her palm a soft, lingering kiss. As he did this, the blush on Harriet's face intensified even more and she had to look away so that he couldn't see her highly embarrassed expression.

_Merlin's beard, he's still looking at me! He's still looking, he's still looking! Is he still looking, oh MERLIN'S BLOODY BEARD, he's still looking! _Harriet was beginning to hyperventilate as she felt Blaise's eyes still focused intently on her face as he stood in front of her – so much that she was thoroughly relieved when Fleur had caught his attention again by speaking up and giving the dark-haired Italian Heir a teasing, pointed smile.

"Well…? Aren't you going to ask Harriet to dance with you, Blaise?" Fleur asked, laughing as Blaise seemed to snap himself out of his daze and finally turned to look at her, as though noticing her there for the first time. At the nod and encouraging smile she gave him, he nodded in return and turned back to Harriet.

"Harry…Would you care to dance—"

"_ZABINI! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH THAT…HALF-BREED?"_

Harriet recognized the loud, drawling voice that had interrupted Blaise instantly and she felt a flare of anger at the person who had spoken, somehow realizing that it was _just _like Malfoy to ruin such a perfect moment for her just that easily. Unfortunately, the spell had been broken, however, and Blaise was already turning away from her to stare at Malfoy's approaching form behind them with a slightly confused expression.

"Excuse me, Draco…?" He asked quietly, blinking once as he stared blankly at the irate S-4 leader.

Malfoy didn't flinch at this, however, and ignoring Viktor and Theodore's restraints, the blonde angrily stalked towards them, rudely shoving a few students out of his way. When he got there, just a few steps in front of where they were standing, he flicked his glare back and forth between Blaise and Harriet in disgust.

"Blaise, I'm disappointed in you." He drawled, letting his disgusted, condescending glare linger for a long moment on Harriet's flushed, angry expression before he sneered at Blaise again. "You _know _that Potter is our enemy, you're not supposed to be associating yourself with common riffraff like her. She's half-breed scum, and she declared war on _me! She's the enemy!" _He snapped at him, his loud voice echoing throughout the entire ballroom and causing all of Fleur's guests to stop whatever it was they were doing to stare at them.

The Malfoy Heir didn't seem to care, however, and even when Blaise had just blinked at him again and was about to turn away, Malfoy had growled and had seized the other boy by his arm, yanking him back.

"Did you not _hear _me, Zabini? Potter is our enemy! Stop being so bloody _nice _to her!"

"Grow up, Draco." Was all Blaise said and he would have turned to approach Harriet again but that was when Malfoy finally exploded, causing the rest of the students around the room to gasp loudly in shock.

"_I FORBID YOU TO APPROACH HARRIET POTTER!" _Malfoy blurted out, his steel-gray eyes suddenly wide and threatening as he glared at Blaise's back, daring the other S-4 member to purposely go against his orders.

The rest of the room's onlookers had gasped again as the two heirs stayed silent like that for a long, tense moment of awkward silence – both of their muscles clenched and both of them refusing to look at each other for fear of exploding in their anger. A few steps behind Blaise, Harry could see the cold, blank expression in the Italian Heir's eyes but for the life of her, she was completely _confused _about what was really going on.

She knew how much Draco Malfoy hated her and she also _knew _that Blaise didn't particularly care for her that much either so she could not even _begin _to understand why Blaise was stubbornly defending her _now_. Also, she knew that Malfoy had enforced a strict "No Associating with Potter" rule around the rest of the student population but she had no idea that he would go so far as to enforce the rule onto his own friends.

Clearly, something was in this situation that Harriet wasn't aware about.

It was the only possible explanation for everything else not adding up.

"_DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? I SAID I FORBID YOU TO APPROACH HARRIET POTTER!" _Malfoy had suddenly snarled again, interrupting the rest of Harriet's thoughts and finally causing Blaise to turn around to face him.

To Harry's surprise, the Italian Heir looked angry now – his blue eyes narrowed and his face set into a cold, warning sneer that met Malfoy's own. Fortunately, before either of the two irate heirs could say anything else, Fleur had cleared her throat and stepped in between them, trying to calm Malfoy with a gentle smile.

"Come now, Draco…Let's stop all this nonsense. Don't you think Harry looks pretty, as well? The dress really brings out the beauty of her eyes, does it not?" She tried to tease the blonde by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder but the instant she did, Malfoy's eyes flashed and he pulled sharply away.

Then, to everyone's disbelief, the Malfoy Heir suddenly turned his angry, narrowed eyes to Fleur and he sneered warningly at her, causing the blonde girl to blink and step back in shock. "You may _be _Fleur Delacour and you may _be _my cousin…" He drawled slowly, the coldness in his voice causing her to flinch.

"But no one…I repeat…_NO ONE _talks to me that way." He snarled and he would have stepped toward Fleur to shout at her again but apparently, _that _had triggered Blaise's anger the most. Before anyone else could even react, Blaise had moved in front of Malfoy's form instantly – shielding Fleur from the S-4 leader's view.

"Well then you should know, Draco, that no one…_NO ONE _talks to Fleur that way." Blaise drawled back calmly, his eyes narrowing slowly as one corner of his lips twisted into a threatening, menacing sneer. Malfoy's eyes widened in indignation at this and he growled, baring his teeth as he stepped even closer towards Blaise until the two tall boys were staring each other down, their hands clenched around their wands.

"How dare you talk to me that way—" Malfoy's voice had dropped into an angry hiss and his eyes were flashing maniacally as he suddenly raised his wand, pointing it directly at Blaise's surprised features.

"I'll teach you some manners, Zabini—"

He made to cast the first spell just as Blaise had tried to cast one of his own but in that instant, everything had suddenly happened so fast that Harriet couldn't remember which one of them had moved first. She remembered realizing that, unfortunately, she didn't have her wand in her pocket in that moment and her first instinct was to think of an alternative way to stop them, but the idea that popped into her head was crazy.

Harriet remembered that the second she had seen Malfoy yanking his wand out and moving to point it directly at Blaise's face, she had reacted by pure impulse, running towards the tall pair as fast as she could. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Fleur rushing towards them as well and she remembered she faintly made out the sounds of Fleur, Theodore and Viktor's loud protests but she just couldn't be sure.

All Harry knew was that as she was running towards the S-4 boys in her panic, she failed to anticipate that Malfoy had noticed her and had turned toward her in shock. His eyes, momentarily devoid of anger, had grown as wide as saucers but before he could protest, Harriet had already collided against him, tackling the stunned blonde to the floor.

They heard a few gasps, and murmurs and horrified exclamations around the room but Harriet was deaf to them all as she fought to regain focus – aware of nothing else but the fact that a heavy weight was now effectively pinning her down onto the marble floor and keeping her from moving away.

Stifling a groan, she blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. That was when she realized that she still couldn't see everyone else gathered around them. Instead, all she could see were a pair of similarly stunned, wide silver eyes staring right down at her, mere _centimeters _away from her own face. When she opened her mouth to protest, however, that was also when she realized that her lips were, in fact, stifled by another pair of lips that was pressing down right on hers. Without warning, her eyes snapped wide open.

_OH…BLOODY…HELL!_

Squelching back a horrified scream of disgust, she stared up at the equally shocked gray eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy staring back down at her, his eyes wide and his face already beginning to flush bright pink when he also seemed to realize the rather compromising position they were in. Somehow, in the course of Harriet's efforts in tackling Malfoy to the floor, the blonde had managed to reverse their position so that he ended up landing on top of her instead. Now, pinned on the floor underneath him, with their lips pressed together and his body pressing firmly against her own, she was seriously beginning to regret tackling him.

Especially now that she heard Theodore and Viktor's loud, hysterical hoots and laughter above them.

"_WHOA!"_

"_WAY TO GO, MALFOY!"_

"_THAT'S HOW YOU SHOW POTTER WHO'S BOSS!"_

Blushing horribly and wishing she could just disappear into the floor, Harriet squelched her eyes shut and carefully moved her hands up until her palms were pressing against his chest. Then, frantically, she began trying to shove him off her until Malfoy eventually obliged and pried himself off with an awkward grimace.

Still, as the two of them scrambled apart, Harry could not help but wince when she noticed the soft sound of their lips separating – as though they actually _had _been kissing – and the way Malfoy was now blushing almost as red as she was. In fact, had circumstances been different, she would have thought that the look of childlike embarrassment on his face was actually endearing in some way, if only she didn't hate his guts.

"_WOOHOO! NOW THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL ACTION!"_

"_HEY MALFOY! I'M SURE YOU WANT TO 'PUNISH' POTTER DIFFERENTLY NOW, HUH?"_

Horrified and absolutely scandalized, Harriet felt the tears of humiliation stinging the corner of her eyes as she jumped to her feet, not even noticing that Malfoy had been holding a hand out to her to help her up. Then, ignoring the matching looks of concern and surprise she was receiving from Blaise and Fleur, Harriet tore her eyes away from them and hastily turned around, her eyes scanning the room for the nearest exit.

"Harry—" Fleur had reached out to grab her by her arm but Harriet was already twisting away from her and rushing towards the ballroom exit.

"I—I'm sorry, Fleur…But…I…I h—have to go, I'm sorry! I'll return your dress tomorrow!" Harriet was disgusted to hear the shaking in her own voice but she didn't bother dwelling on it as she turned around and ran as fast as she could towards the exit, drowning out the sounds of everyone's laughter echoing around her.

"Potter kissed Malfoy? No way!"

"No, Malfoy kissed Potter! It was the other way around!"

"No way, he wouldn't! Potter's a half-blood, Malfoy would never kiss her!"

To add even more injury, she could feel Blaise's gaze lingering on her as she ran away from them but even then, she refused to look at him, utterly ashamed to see his reaction to what had just happened.

When Fleur had ushered her into the ballroom that night, all dressed-up and made to feel like a princess, Harriet had foolishly thought that, perhaps, this would be her _one _chance to earn Blaise's attention. It had been _all _she had ever wanted ever since she had started school at SSPAM and to have him looking at her the way he did tonight, to have him walk up to her and ask her for a dance was beyond Harriet's expectations.

Everything would have been perfect tonight, and she would have finally gotten to dance – maybe even _kiss –_ the boy, the _prince, _of her dreams. Sadly, however, life had decided to screw around with her once more and even before the night had started, she had ended up kissing a _frog _instead– and Harry felt cheated.

_It wasn't fair._

As she finally pushed through the exit doors of the Delacour estate and rushed out into the driveway, Harriet felt the bitter tears welling up in her eyes again. Angrily, she wiped them away and began to run faster when she heard the echoing murmurs, exclamations and laughter that were still coming from inside the party.

* * *

"You _kissed _him?"

Hermione's shrill exclamation made Harriet wince and rub her ears as she looked back up from wiping the counter and gave Hermione a pointed look. "A little louder, 'Mione…I don't think everyone in the restaurant heard you." Harriet pointed sarcastically, causing Hermione to look sheepish in spite of herself.

"I'm sorry, Harry…But that was just a little too much to take in for a second…I mean, you _kissed _him? You _kissed _Draco Malfoy? As in the leader of S-4, the one who's been bullying you for weeks now, _that _Draco Malfoy?" She asked in a low whisper, earning another exasperated sigh from Harriet as she stopped wiping the counter and glared up at her, dropping the yellow sponge she held down the counter with a growl.

"'Mione! It wasn't like I had much of a choice, I _told _you! He just…_fell _on top of me! And his…_lips _landed on mine, it was an accident!" Harry stammered amidst Hermione's giggles, causing the black-haired girl to glare at her best friend again in annoyance. "It's not funny! It was _disgusting, _I had to run home and gargle with mouthwash for half an _hour! _It was like kissing a _frog!_" She snapped, causing Hermione to giggle harder.

When the brunette had gotten a semblance of control over herself, she looked up at her best friend's scowl at her again and answered her with a smirk. "A frog huh…? Well, even a frog can turn into a _prince _with one kiss, Harry…Are you sure you were so repulsed by it?" She teased, wagging her eyebrows up and down.

Choking, Harry gaped at her and stared at her as though she had grown two heads. "'Mione, are you _mad? _This is _Malfoy, _we're talking about! He's disgusting! He's evil! He's vile! He's the lowest scum to ever—"

* * *

"—walk the face of this Earth! I wouldn't date her if she was the last woman on the planet, don't disgust me!" Draco exclaimed hastily as he stared at both Theodore and Viktor's amused smirks at him from across the room. Seated casually on one of the leather couches near the corner of Draco's bedroom – just beside the mini bar – Theodore had grinned at him and crossed one ankle over the other, leaning back slyly against his seat.

"So how was she?"

Theodore sniggered when Draco pretended not to hear him and threw another dart across the room.

"She's that good a kisser huh? She _must _have been for you to blush so much like that last night." Theodore teased Draco further, earning himself a glare and a very rude finger from the blonde S-4 leader.

"I did _not _kiss Potter. _SHE _kissed _ME_!"

"Oh really…? You didn't seem all that disgusted last night when your mouth was practically glued onto hers, you know…In fact, you seemed rather inclined not to move at all." Theodore pointed out smugly and at his words, the dart Draco had been throwing missed, landing miserably outside the dartboard across the room.

"Are you _insane? _What makes you think I like that skinny little half-breed? She's annoying, and loud, and reckless, and stubborn! And I don't like that in a woman, I like my woman obedient!" He snarled at them.

Viktor snorted derisively and took a sip from his glass of champagne. "Since when?" He retorted.

Draco's head snapped back around to glare at him, narrowing his eyes at the other boy in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"Since _when _did you like your women obedient, Malfoy?" Viktor repeated, his smirk widening slightly when he saw the confused expression Draco was giving him. "In fact, while we're on that subject, why don't we also address the fact that you haven't gone out with a girl for almost three months now." Viktor pointed out further, laughing when Draco glared at him and refused to answer, picking up some more darts instead.

"So?" He snapped, hurling another dart across the room. This time, he hit the bull's eye easily.

"Wow…no action at all for three months, huh? No wonder you're always so uptight these days, Malfoy. We have to get you out, mate! Let's go see some women, I know a party we can crash! Come on, let's—" Theodore was surprised when Draco just rolled his eyes and shrugged Theo's arm off his shoulders.

"I don't really feel like it, Nott." He grumbled, earning another set of amused looks from his two friends as Viktor finally stood up from his seat and walked over to them, clapping Draco lightly on the shoulder.

"Malfoy, when's the last time you got yourself _any _action since that lame kiss from Potter you stole yesterday? You probably haven't had any for months! Let's get you some girls so you can stop thinking about that Potter chick for awhile." He offered but to his surprise, Draco suddenly glared at him with wide gray eyes.

"I do _not _think about Potter, you imbecile! And besides, I've…I've had _plenty _this month! Yeah, dozens! I don't need you two feeling sorry for me! I can get women on my own!" He snapped defensively but his words did nothing but cause Theo and Viktor to share a smirk again and glance back at him in amusement.

"Oh yeah…? When was the last time you got any action then, Draco…?" Theodore asked him bluntly.

"And yesterday doesn't count." Viktor added with a smirk.

Draco glanced back and forth between the two of them with suspicious eyes, as though he was trying to ascertain their intentions, before he very slowly turned to glance back at Theodore and shrugged blankly.

"…the day before that…?"

* * *

"—he's a pig and he's slime and he's a disgusting snake! I hate his guts, 'Mione! I really do, I hate his guts!" Harry was practically pounding the restaurant counter in front of her into non-existence, earning herself several nervous looks from the nearby customers seated around the Three Broomsticks. Noticing this, Hermione winced and carefully pried the sponge away from her best friend's hands, giving her a rueful smile.

"Well, snake or not, Harry…I think it would be best if you calmed down and got your mind off Malfoy for awhile. Why don't you go over there and help Ginny with those customers? I'm sure she'd appreciate it, she's looking a bit stressed out." Hermione pointed out, finally breaking through Harriet's tirade as she sighed and nodded in defeat. "You're right…I shouldn't be letting that prick get to me." She admitted, shaking her head at herself and giving Hermione a weak smile. "I'll go help Ginny out." She nodded in agreement, leaving Hermione at the counter so that she could make her way towards the redhead across the restaurant.

Just as she was passing by the entrance doors, however, they swung open, revealing a tall, cloaked-figure walking slowly into the room. Idly, Harriet turned her head over her shoulder to give the new customer a distracted smile but that was when she froze and stopped dead in her tracks. There, staring silently back at her and shoving his hands into his pockets, stood none other than Blaise Zabini – in all his perfect, handsome glory.

And slowly, he smiled at her.

"Hi Harry."

* * *

**A/N: **Who hates cliffhangers? I do, I do, I do! I hate those nasty cliffhangers, don't you? I think authors who like to use them all the time are just nasty, sadistic bitches. :D :D :D

**Next Chapter: **a little BZ/femHP, we introduce another character, and perhaps a little DM/femHP.

**Please, please, PLEASE don't forget to leave me a review, everyone! They might help me with my awful writer's block! Till next time! CIAO AND CHEERS! :D**


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